Today we bring the spotlight to Ben Rubinger. Ben is one of our 'behind the scene' guys in Rational Client Support as a tools developer. Having been a support engineer himself, he has special insight into changes and features to internal tools which are needed on the front lines of support, and is busy making life for the TSEs easier one feature set at a time. But life isn't all coding for Ben, he's also active outside of work as you'll find below.
Tell us a little about yourself: who are you, what is your role in Rational Client Support? I'm Ben Rubinger, and my role in RCS is to find ways to help make TSE's work lives easier through building efficiencies (like EPS Sender, DCF Kickstart, etc.)
How long have you been working for IBM and Rational? I've been with IBM 6 years, and in this job role 2 years.
Have you had any other roles in Rational? I was a TSE supporting PurifyPlus for 4 years
What project are you the most proud of? Probably EPS Sender. It's my first really impactful software development project, and it makes me feel really good when I walk around and see it on someone's screen. Plus, when it first came up, someone came up to me and thanked me for helping to ease his carpel tunnel syndrome!
Do you have an "on the job" hero? If you could "follow" anyone for 24 hours, who would it be? I've always been really impressed with how Chris Flynn knows and connects with EVERYONE. I'm a firm believer that personal skills are just as important as technical skills.
Are you a gadget person? What type of gadgets do you use? I'm really not a gadget person. I'm pretty outdoorsey, and so if I'm not in the office or at home, I probably don't need to be staring at yet another screen. I think that not saturating myself in technology is a big reason why I continue to love working with it.
What's the coolest piece of tech news you've heard lately? There is a new 128GB blu ray disc coming out. That's a lot of storage on a disc!
What is your favorite part of working for Rational Client Support? The people. I love how much interaction I get with people who use software I build. Good people make a job really fun. Plus, it's always great talking with people from all over SWG (Software Group) and talking to them about what they do. What inspires you in your work? I love solving problems. I never know what challenges I'll deal with on a day-to-day basis which constantly makes my job interesting and varied. That variety keeps me inspired and motivated.
In your spare time, if you have any, what hobbies or activities interest you? In my spare time (when I have some), I love to be active and outdoors. I feel like it's important to balance out the time you spend at your desk. I love volleyball (I played both sand and indoor while I was living in California), swimming (the pool at UCSB was beautiful!), running (I ran cross country all four years while I was doing my undergraduate work at Clark University), yoga, weight lifting, and biking. Beyond that, I love listening to music, and I'm starting to do more cooking.
What tools / skills have you acquired that you feel are vital to your success in this field? Communication is really important. You have to be able to listen to what people want and need or they'll be stuck with something they won't use. Of course, technical skills are core to my job since I'm working deep in code every day. At the end of the day, I need to be able to take ideas and turn them into reality via code.
How do you define success? Feeling happy with who you are, what you're doing and where you're going in life.
Describe a normal day for you. Well, that changed dramatically. If you asked me that two months ago, I'd describe my life as a full time student living in Santa Barbara, California. Now, my days are really varied. For a good chunk of my day, my emails lead me. I never know who has a question about a tool I wrote or needs my help with some new feature request. For the other part of my day, I work through a list of features I'm in the process of implementing in various tools, or work building new ones. I also spend a chunk of my time interfacing with my stakeholders (often TSEs in Rational, AIM, IM, or Tivoli).
What is on your nightstand with regard to reading? In grad school, I had to read super dense technical papers, so I haven't done a lot of leisure reading recently. The last book I read for pleasure was probably Ken Follett's "A Dangerous Fortune."
What are you doing to make the planet smarter? I'm giving IBMers their time back. By ensuring that computers do as much work as possible for people, we remove burden from people's shoulders so they can use their time better and ultimately be more effective in work and life.
How do you grow your technical skills? I'm always reading. I read lots of technical journals and technical blogs. I also play with lots of code, and I'm often disassembling things.
How do you prefer to find answers to your questions? Google!
Any other fun tidbits of information about you, your job, or RCS that you'd like to share? When I was working in Lexington, I would bike 13 miles a day each way to get to work in the summertime. I'm going to see if I can bike once a week to work in Littleton from Cambridge! Wish me luck...
Did you know : about a unit of measure defined by IBM to streamline their licensing policies and contracts, IBM define a processor (for the purposes of PVU licensing) as each core on a socket. Specific processor families carry individual weights per core - E.G. a single core Intel or AMD CPU is assigned a weight of 50, while a small Power 7 processor is assigned a weight of 70. As an example, a quad core Power7 chip on a PS700 blade server would constitute 4 x 70 PVU's. The Licensee can deploy software either using Full Capacity licensing or Virtualization Capacity (Sub-Capacity) licensing.
Lets elaborate this, a "Processor Value Unit" (PVU) is a unit of measure used to differentiate licensing of software on distributed processor technologies (defined by Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and Model Number). IBM continues to define a processor, for purposes of PVU-based licensing, to be each processor core on a chip (socket). Each software Program has a unique price per PVU. For a complete definition of PVU licensing, please see description of PVU full-capacity and sub-capacity licensing below. For more information about PVUs, see the links under 'Essentials' on the right hand navigation bar.
Processor value unit (PVU) licensing :
You apply the IBM URBANCODE DEPLOY MANAGED CAPACITY PVU LIC license to the IBM UrbanCode Deploy server. Then, the server can run processes. In this case, the agents do not require a license; instead, each PVU license allows the server to use a certain number of agents concurrently. The number of concurrent agents may be limited or unlimited, depending on the terms of the PVU license. If you are using this license scenario and the license server does not have any PVU licenses for a IBM UrbanCode Deploy server, the server cannot run processes.
You can see the type of license that the server is using by logging in to the IBM Urban Code Deploy server, clicking Settings > System Settings and looking at the Server License Type field.
For PVU licensing, the Server License Type field shows Managed Capacity.
For example, in the case of IBM Urban Code Deploy Managed PVU licenses, when the Deploy server is started up it retrieves a PVU license. The number of PVU licenses required to run Deploy is dependent on the Machine/underlying server on which the deploy server is running . For example, if the Deploy server has been installed on a Quad code(4cores) processor, then the calculation would be based on the type of processor multiplied by the value required for each core (Note: The value for each core would be dependent on the processor manufacturer and model, refer the data-sheet for full listing).
This model of licensing is best suited for CLOUD and Virtualized environment, where there is a huge deployment of servers, and multiple servers are running same application. In such a environment the control of how many cores a application would use would be regulated by the relevant virtualization technology. For example :- Hyper V for Microsoft based Virtualization, and V-center for ESX based Vmware virtualization. However, if there is lesser number of cores being used than the full capacity, the licensing administrator should refer the table to ascertain how many PVU units are required to be deployed on the license server.
For example:- If on a Server machine, there are 10 Server sockets, each capable of handling a Quad core processor, the effective number of cores which the server machine can handle is 10x4=40. However, 40 cores may not be fully dedicated to one single application, and the licensing administrator may use the relevant virtualization console to cap the number of cores required for running the application, lets say 20 cores for Urban Code. In such a case, the administrator shall look up the table to find the relevant value for each core against the model of processor in use and then decide the number of PVU units required for the entire application.
Now once we have ascertained the number of PVU units required for running a specific application, we could deploy it on the IBM Rational license key server(RLKS).
Table of Processor Value Units [PVUs] per core :
The tables below list existing generally available processor technologies only, as of the published date. PVU requirements for future processor technologies may differ.
Processor Technologies for IBM,
Processor Technologies for HP/Intel, Sun/Fujitsu,
Processor Technologies for Intel,
PVU full-capacity and sub-capacity licensing :
Processor Value Unit (PVU) is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. The number of PVU entitlements required is based on the processor technology defined within the PVU Table by Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and Model Number and by the number of processors made available to the Program. IBM continues to define a processor, for the purpose of PVU-based licensing, to be each processor core on a chip. A dual-core processor chip, for example, has two processor cores.
The Licensee can deploy the Program using either Full Capacity licensing or Virtualization Capacity (Sub-Capacity) licensing according to the Passport Advantage Licensing Terms. If using Full Capacity licensing, the Licensee must obtain PVU entitlements sufficient to cover all activated processor cores* in the physical hardware environment made available to or managed by the Program, except for those servers from which the Program has been permanently removed. If using Virtualization Capacity licensing, the Licensee must obtain entitlements sufficient to cover all activated processor cores made available to or managed by the Program, as defined according to the Virtualization Capacity License Counting Rules .
Advantages of Processor Value Units [PVUs] :
- As simple a licensing structure as possible, understanding that simplicity needs to be balanced against precise measurements of the potential value that a customer receives from their middleware.
- Greater flexibility in deploying middleware licenses on servers that use multi-core chip technologies, using sub-capacity licensing where they have partitioned those systems more granularly.
Continued middleware price performance improvements as the underlying hardware performance improves.
Have you pulled together your platform upgrade plans for 2014? Do you know if your IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) environment will be supported on the platforms you plan on upgrading?
Be sure you know what platforms are supported before you upgrade so as to avoid unnecessary surprises and downtime.
The following system requirements information will help you identify what platforms are supported. Included is a list of platforms that we no longer plan to support in 2014. This information is being provided to assist you in making plans to migrate to newer supported versions and is important to consider before you begin upgrading your CLM environments:
Here is an example requirement that one of my clients was looking for in IBM Rational Team Concert who asked: "Is it possible to select an enumeration value for an attribute and this in-turn based on the value selected, display text area in RTC?"
There is an attribute named 'Location' and the enumeration values for this attribute are 'USA, UK, India'. Now if the users select any of these enumeration values, say 'USA', they should get a field next to this selected enumeration value displaying a text, say 'Miami' or so a field where users can write the location manually.
Is this feature available in RTC 4.0.1, 4.0.2 or 4.0.3? At the time of writing this article, there is no straight forward way to achieve this requirement for the RTC versions mentioned.
--> This requirement can essentially be broken into 2 sub-requirements:
Attribute visibility
Attributes with values dependant on another value.
Here is a jazz.net article which should help one in customizing the requirement:
'Read-only control for Work Item attributes in Rational Team Concert 4.0' https://jazz.net/library/article/997/
--> However, there are a few RFE's which are in discussion for CLM 4.0.x, as mentioned below:
This video demonstrates how to configure Jazz Team Server (JTS) with the applications Requirements Management (RM), Change and Configuration Management (CCM), and Quality Management (QM) using the 3.0 Beta 2 version of the code. Notable in this demo is the updated JTS Setup Wizard, which now unifies setup across the JTS and the three applications.
Following are the top ten technotes our TSEs shared with you over April to help resolve your Focal Point, Change, and Quality Manager PMRs. Are you running into any of the same issues as well? If so, check out these technotes and let us know if they helped solve your issues too!
Rational Change Top 10
4031500 Rational Change Fix Pack 6 (5.2.0.6) for 5.2
1324472 Configuring Change to use the hostname instead of the IP address
Today we are delighted to spotlight Wendy Toh. Wendy is RCS's new Vice President responsible for managing the worldwide client support organization for the Rational division in Software group. Born in Malaysia, Wendy moved to the United States in the early 1980s, graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science, and subsequently started her career with IBM. She has some serious and long work days in her role as VP, but gets through them all successfully by following her personal mottos, as you'll find out below:
Tell us a little about yourself: who are you, what is your role in Rational Client Support? I joined in January 2010 as the Vice President of RCS. I am excited about this new role and looking forward to meeting the team and working on making 2010 very successful.
How long have you been working for IBM and Rational? I've been working at IBM since 1989 and in Rational since 2006.
Have you had any other roles in Rational? Yes. I've been the development director for the Enterprise Modernization Tools & Compilers (EM&C) team as well as the Enterprise Architecture and Analysis Design Construction (EA/ADC) teams. I've also been an executive sponsor for the Rational China Development Lab working with Charles Yan. Finally, I'm the executive sponsor for both of the Research Triangle Park Asian and Women's Diversity Network Groups.
Describe a normal day for you. I arrive between 7:30AM and 8AM and catch up on emails. Typically I have 7-8 hours of meetings scheduled each day. I prefer to leave the office around 6PM to go workout or take a break. I am usually online in the evenings 2-3 days a week to catch up on email. Like many of you, I also take late calls from home. Finally - I travel quite a bit - probably about 50% of my time - to visit our clients. I plan on getting to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Sydney in April, followed by a visit to Bangalore, Stockholm, and Amsterdam in May, before I head to Orlando for Innovate 2010! This doesn't include short trips that arise suddenly due to critical situations.
What type of gadgets do you use? Blackberry Tour, Kindle, iPod, MacBook
What gadget, which you currently own, can you not live without? My Blackberry Tour cellphone
What is your favorite part of working for Rational Client Support? The people!! Even when it's stressful most folks keep their sense of humor! I also like the fact that we can make a positive impact on our clients in helping them get productive!
What are you passionate about? Enabling people to reach their full potential while maximizing their contributions to IBM and IBM customers.
How do you define success? Being joyful and happy in all aspects of my life. While I do put a lot of time and energy towards my job, it's my family and friends that keep me grounded. I also believe we must succeed by living and working by a consistent set of core values that reflect our personal beliefs and ethics.
Any other fun tidbits of information about you, your job, or RCS that you'd like to share? I enjoy sports and music very much. I'm a big Florida Gators fan (that's an American college football (not soccer) team for those of you who live outside North America :-). Some artists on my iPod playlist: Pink Martini, Dwight Yoakam, Trisha Yearwood, George Strait, ABBA, Chris Isaak, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Dwight Yoakam, Reba McEntire, Frank Sinatra, The Mavericks.
Here are the mottos I live by:
1. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug 2. Fake it 'til you make it 3. Work is what I do in between vacations
What have you planned for your next vacation(s)? Weekend getaway in New Orleans at the end of March, then a 12-night Mediterranean cruise in the summer...woo hoo!
Let's understand the concept of Telelogic based products licensing concepts.
Telelogic Products:
Focal Point - System for management of product and project portfolios. DOORS - Requirements tracking tool. System Architect - Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture modeling tool. Tau - SDL and UML modeling tool. Synergy - Task-based version control and configuration management system. Rhapsody - Systems engineering and executable UML modeling tool. Doc Express - Technical documentation tool, discontinued after the acquisition and superseded by IBM Rational Publishing Engine.
License types supported by Telelogic products:
The below table list the type of license supported by Telelogic products.
Extended licensing options supported by core products are shown in the below given tables:
FLEXnet license types supported by product integrations are as shown below:
Extended licensing options supported by product integrations are shown in the below given table:
Understanding of "TELELOGIC_ LICENSE_FILE variable":
On Microsoft Windows, Telelogic products store the location of the license file in the TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE system environment variable. On UNIX, Telelogic products store the location of the license file in the LM_LICENSE_FILE system environment variable.
On Synergy, the location of the file is also stored in license_data.txt file on the same router machine.
The value of TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE depends on whether your computer is using either floating licenses, or node-locked licenses. If your computer is using several node-locked and/or floating licenses, the values in TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE are separated by semicolons ( on Windows and colons ( on UNIX. The list can consist of the following components:
The full path to a license file
A directory containing one or more license files with a .lic extension
A port@host setting, where port and host are the TCP/IP port number and host name from the SERVER line in the license file. Alternatively, use the shortcut specification @host if the license file SERVER line uses a default TCP/IP port, or specifies a port in the default port range (27000-27009).
A comma separated list of three port@host specifiers denoting a three-server redundant configuration. For example, port1@host1,port2@host2,port3@host3 specifies the three-server redundant configuration composed of host1, host2, and host3 .
Telelogic applications that use FLEXnet rely on the environment settings that FLEXnet uses to find licenses. The applications search for license servers and license files in the following order:
The environment variable TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE
On Windows, the registry entry for TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE. On UNIX, the registry /.flexlmrc for TELELOGIC_LICENSE_FILE .
The environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE
On Windows, the registry entry for LM_LICENSE_FILE. On UNIX, the registry /.flexlmrc for LM_LICENSE_FILE .
For Synergy, the location specified by the contents of $CCM_HOME/etc/license_data.txt.
License Value Description:
Floating port@license-server-name, The FLEXnet license server from which your computer is requesting server licenses and the port number the server is using.
Node-locked license-file-name The full path to the license file on your computer.
User based feature:
A licensing scheme which uses the FLEXnet attribute USER_BASED to restrict license to specific user of a tool. A user-based license must be served by a license server.
A user-based license is tied to one specific user. This is compared to a floating license which anyone can use. A license Feature for a user-based license is recognized by the attribute USER_BASED on the FEATURE/INCREMENT line. The user who can obtain a user-based license are specified in the FLEXnet options file for the license server.
The configuration file must list the users for the user based feature
INCLUDE RPE_PUBLISH:VERSION=2009.1230 USER spurlos
INCLUDE RPE_PUBLISH:VERSION=2009.1230 USER gauss
The version number from the configuration file must match the version number from the license file (see in bold)
For the same feature both user based and floating features can be present. The user based should be listed first in the license file.
Please see the top 10 Frequently Asked Questions on the Telelogic licensing concepts:
Can I use my old licenses and Telelogic products with the new license server?
Yes, you can continue to use your existing licenses and the associated Telelogic products as before.
Can I use my new licenses and Telelogic products with the previous license server?
No, to utilize the new date version licenses and associated Telelogic products you will need to deploy the new License server.
Can I use my current licenses with the new versions of the Telelogic products?
Yes, if your maintenance agreement is beyond the release date of the products. The FEATUREs in your license file has a version string that reflects the expiry date of your maintenance agreement. If this version string is larger than 2008.0630 than you can run the new products using this license file.
Can I use my new date-versioned licenses with the older versions of the Telelogic products?
Yes, the new date-versioned licenses can be used with the older versions of Telelogic products.
Can I mix older licenses and date-versioned licenses on the new License Server?
Yes, the new License Server supports traditionally versioned and date-versioned licenses.
Are date-versioned licenses applicable to patches and service packs?
Yes, service packs will be date-versioned. You can use, and continue to use, service packs that are released during your maintenance period.
Can I continue to use Telelogic products after my maintenance has expired?
This depends upon the terms of your agreement with Telelogic. The product releases or service pack releases after the maintenance expiration date cannot be used. Other older products can still be used.
What happens when my maintenance contract expires?
You will need to renew your maintenance contract and obtain a new license to use Telelogic products and updates that are released after your maintenance period has expired.
When do I need to obtain a new license?
If your licensing requirements change (e.g. you require additional users) and when you renew your maintenance contract.
What happens if I renew my maintenance contract for a fewer number of users?
Telelogic products that are released after you renew your maintenance can only be utilized by the number of users that are contained in your new license.
We all know (I do) how frustrating it can be to encounter an error message and not know what to do to fix it. Now, you can find troubleshooting information and collaborate with others to improve error messages in the Information Center at: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rsdp/v1r0m0/index.jsp
Following are a few specific Technotes I have found to be very beneficial when answering questions in PMRs:
Meet the Peeps is back and better than ever after a nice respite! This week, we we have the pleasure of speaking with Kim Ruggari. Kim is another one of RCS' many passion driven people, intent on improving every aspect of the business as she can manage. As the Asia Pacific GEO Executive for RCS, she gets to do just that! Read on to see just how diverse her background is as well as her passions and interest outside of work. Plus, if this is your first time reading this blog, be sure to check out our past interviews here.
Tell us a little about yourself: who are you, what is your role in Rational Client Support? My current role is Asia Pacific GEO Exec. for Rational Client Support, reporting to Wendy Toh. I've had this role since January 2007. I am based in Sydney, Australia, and locally report into the Australia Development Labs ("ADL"). Asia Pacific covers many languages, cultures and countries - which makes life very interesting and challenging. For those that would like a Geography lesson, AP GEO includes: Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (GCG), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (ASEAN), as well as India, Korea and Japan.
How long have you been working for IBM and Rational? I've been with Rational since November 1998. I was the 7th person employed by RCS in Asia Pacific (#1, and #6 are also still in RCS by the way)
Have you had any other roles in Rational? Most people don't realise that that I started with RCS as a bit of an all-rounder (I guess today you would call it "Operations"). Not long after I joined RCS, Rational moved its licensing to FlexLM, and thus began a slew of licensing PMRs a week: Yes! I also inherited the role of sole Licensing support engineer - those were the days - phew, busy!!. In addition to the Operations function, I organically became the Licensing team manager. Around 2003, I was asked to manage the DevTools team, then in 2005 the RPM, CC and CQ teams. I finally moved to the AP lead role January 2007.
Describe a normal day for you. I don't really have "normal" days - every work day is different. They range from 7 hours to 18 hours of never-ending fun, frustration, challenge and excitement. My days are NEVER boring, although some days I pray for a little boredom. It depends on how many Critical Situations we have open, what meetings are happening and how many are scheduled outside of my local business hours (I particularly love the 5am MORs during Winter )
Do you have an "on the job" hero? If you could "follow" anyone for 24 hours, who would it be? Glenn Wightwick, Distinguished Engineer and Director of the ADL.
Are you a gadget person? What type of gadgets do you use? I've long argued with my friends that I am NOT a "geek", on the basis that I am not a technical person. I'm now realising that my friends win this argument. I have just about every household gadget you can name. Someone, please save me from the Home Shopping Network! What gadget, which you currently own, can you not live without? I'm currently going through a "smoothie" stage, so I'll say my Stick Blender.
What is your favorite part of working for Rational Client Support? Ask me on a good day, and I'll tell you my team are the BEST! I love being around so many people who are so diverse, and ensure that each day is different.
What are you passionate about? Of course my friends and family - but I have to be honest here and say really good food! Sydney's has AMAZING restaurants, with Chefs who have almost reached rock-star status. I am working my way through the Top 50 with one of my closest friends who shares my passion.
What is on your nightstand with regard to reading? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I'm having trouble getting started with it. How do you prefer to find answers to your questions? I am a Google junkie, my home laptop is always running, and I'm forever googling questions that pop into my head. How are you using social networking today? You can usually find me logged into Facebook. Its such a great way to keep in touch with my friends all around the World. I haven't caught the Twitter wave. I had a Blog for a while, but found I could not prioritise time for it (I am a frustrated writer).
Any other fun tidbits of information about you, your job, or RCS that you'd like to share? "Gung-Ho" and "Who Moved My Cheese" are 2 books that will ALWAYS be on my professional book-shelf.
Over on the Jazz.net library, I recently found this great tutorial walking you through how to integrate a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as a live data source into your IBM Rational Insight installation.
For even more great content from the Jazz crew, hop on over to https://jazz.net/library/ You can even set up RSS feeds for all content or based on specific search results, so you always get only the content you want!
We work with the coolest people. You have no idea.
This week at lunch, thanks to the good offices of the IBM Green Team, we got a chance to check out the handiwork of one of our colleagues, who has converted his car to run on vegetable oil.
Just because he could.
SO cool. Here is Byron Garcia's story, in his own words:
"Back in 2002, I was looking for a vehicle with superb gas mileage and I found the Golf TDI. I read all about it, researched mileage, and was mightily impressed with the mileage these little cars could achieve (45+MPG!)
Some time later, I found out about a fringe group of people that were running diesel-fueled cars with vegetable oil. I attended a workshop to convert a diesel-powered VW Rabbit and then decided to take the plunge and do it myself. Since I knew that this would most definitely void my warranty, I waited until the warranty ran out and in 2007, I ordered my kit and installed in June of that year.
I have been running my car on veggie oil and diesel since and my biggest regret is not having done it sooner. The filtering / processing of grease has been a learning process but by now I have the process worked out."
It's all kinds of smart, green, thrifty, geeky, innovative, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty, reuse-and-recycle fun!
Kits cost less than $2000
Fuel is straight vegetable oil: new or used. Used vegetable oil = FREE fuel. Byron gets his used vegetable oil from various sources, including the IBM MassLab cafeteria.
Cleaner emissions, with the fuel economy of diesel, without the high cost of diesel.
1995, November 14: SQA, Inc. files a US federal trademark for SQA Robot as part of the SQA Suite in Woburn Massachusetts (MA) 01801.
1997, February 26: Rational Software Corp. acquires SQA, Inc.
SQA Robot is part of SQA TeamTest . This bundle consists of SQA Robot and SQA Tester.
As the years go passing by
1999, February: the first release under the name of Rational Robot v.7.1 comes out.
2002: Robot wins the Yphise award for the best functional testing tool.
Yphise is a leading independent analyst company from Paris, France. Yphise assessed Robot through Yphise's ISO-9001-certified methodology.
2003, February: IBM acquisition of Rational Software.
The name changes from Rational Robot to IBM Rational Robot.
2004 Robot development moves from Lexington MA to Bangalore, India. From that time until today, Hari Ananth has been the core developer.
IBM Rational Robot Version 7.0.3.4 introduced the OpenComparator function in stand-alone mode. This version also introduced support for 64-bit operating system and made the step into the 64-bit world possible after the end of life of Windows XP. See The rebirth of Rational Robot after XP's death
Thanks to Hari, this was all possible.
Robot and her husbands
In the days before Rational Software renamed SQA Robot to Rational Robot, SQA Manager was the tool to organize Robot scripts. After that, Rational Software renamed to Rational Robot and Rational TestManager.
Release 7.0.0.1 was the first release where you could work in stand-alone mode, freed from Rational TestManager. Only for performance testing, you need to integrate with TestManager.
From 6 June 2006 until 30 April 2013, the integration with Rational ClearQuest Test Manager (CQTM) was supported. The newest tool IBM Rational Quality Manager has integrated with Rational Robot since 19 December 2008.
I hope you've got an impression how Robot developed in the 22 years of its life. If you'd like to discuss this further or add information, leave a comment here or connect with me on Twitter @GunangWaney.
Consciously or unconsciously, we see history lightly in the form of a conflict between the old and the new.- Johan Huizinga.
You, yes YOU can help! By taking our quick 6 question survey, you can provide us the valuable feedback needed to improve our channels and improve the value you see by following us! As you may recall from earlier this year, these surveys are specific to the work Rational Support has been doing within the social business spaces. Specifically this means here on our blog, through our Twitter feed, and of course on our Facebook page. By providing your brief feedback surrounding these channels you will have a direct hand in guiding the future of how we utilize each channel and improve the usefulness of each channel for your needs.
To this end, you should see a pop-up survey when navigating to this blog which will enable you to fill out the short 6 question survey without leaving the page. This pop-up will only appear until you've taken the survey once. After that, you won't be bothered with it again. If the pop-up doesn't display you may access it directly here.
We run these surveys twice yearly in an effort to gauge our successes and failures beyond simple metrics like clicks and visits. This particular survey will remain available for the month of December, closing on the 31st at 11:45pm PST. We hope you will take a moment and provide your input on our efforts.
We recognize the importance and value of your direct input, and are committed to making changes based upon what you tell us. In this world of information overload demanding returns on your investment of time, we want to make sure you are seeing the best ROI possible by following us. But, for Kelly, Matt, and Jason to make any changes here, we need to hear from YOU! After all, there's no technology in the world more valuable than direct client feedback!
Introduction to Rational Team Concert v4.x Source Control Management- Murad Korejo covers such basics as Rational Team Concert projects, streams, components, workspaces, snapshots, version control, source control, and how they all fit into the paradigm of Application Lifecycle Management.
As a support organization, we know how important it is to get you the right answers at the right time. Today we'd like to highlight one of our many tools in our bag of tricks to help you...
Not familiar with ISA? Here's a quick explanation and link that should help clarify and lead you on the way to more effective and efficient problem solving!
What is IBM Support Assistant?
IBM Support Assistant (ISA) provides several, free software offerings that help you with a variety of problem determination needs. With focus on quickly finding key information, automating repetitive steps and arming you with a diverse collection of serviceability tools, you will be prepared for self-analysis and diagnosis of problems to resolve problems in less time.
A new video is available on the Rational Support YouTube channel. This video is a demonstration of creating custom code in Rational Performance Tester recorded during an Open Mic session. A link and preview of the video are below.
Subscribe to the channel to keep updated on the latest videos. Did the
information in a video help you achieve your goal? Use the YouTube like
or dislike buttons to let us know; We appreciate your feedback!
License Borrow: Borrow If you need one, and return back at your convenience.
What do we understand when we talk about borrowing a license? Lets talk about borrowing. In arithmetic, when a digit become smaller than limit and the deficiency is taken from the next digit to the left in order to serve the need. So the word Borrow or borrowing can mean: to receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.
Lets see the similarity between the above mentioned definition in terms of licenses: License Borrowing feature allows individual users to “borrow” a license key temporarily if they will be going off-site, to enable use of the software even when the license server is not accessible - for example, when visiting the client or on a business trip. This technology significantly reduces the risk of a lost or stolen hardware key, or non availability of the network.
When making a borrow request, the user is either connected to the server over the network, or with some systems the license can be borrowed via secure file exchange between the disconnected user's system and the server. After the license has been borrowed, the user can then disconnect the computer from the network and continue to use the software for the length of the borrow period, which is typically determined by the software vendor. During this time, the borrowed license is removed from the pool of available licenses. After the borrow period expires the license is then checked back into the pool.
One of the most awaited features in Rational Software's Licenses is the “Early return license once borrowed" feature that was not a part of the Rational License Key Server 8.1.2 and prior releases. However, this enhancement has been approved and released in the latest version of Rational License Server 8.1.3 . Subsequently, you can now borrow a license with a single click using the BORROW UTILITY, and return it before it expires so that other users can access it! ( Returning of Borrowed License is only possible from the Rational License Server Version 8.1.3 ).
How to borrow is simple: Please see the step by step instructions on how to Borrow and “Early return the Borrowed Licenses
Go to the computer, on which you want to run a product (for a limited time) without a network connection to the license server.
Start the LMTOOLS license tool from the Start menu > Programs > IBM Rational > License Tools > LMTOOLS.
Click the Borrowing tab.
Now decide how long you need to borrow the license keys.
When the borrow period expires, LMTOOLS automatically returns all borrowed license keys to the license manager.
Specify values in the Return Date and Return Time edit fields, then click the Set Borrow Expiration button.
You do not need to do anything to return the borrowed license. When the borrow period expires, the borrowed license is no longer available. To see the licenses that you have borrowed, run LMTOOLS.
Click Borrowing then click List Currently Borrowed Features.
Now, if you would want to early return the borrowed license using Rational License Borrow Utility, the RCL 8.1.3 Borrow Tool has the “Return Product” button enabled and available on selecting one borrowed product from Borrowed Products table.
On Clicking on “Return Products” button by selecting one or more borrowed products, It will go ahead with the Return Early operation. Note: This is only possible from Rational License Key Server 8.1.3 onwards.
The three sceen shots below will exemplify this early return process:
Last week Lifehacker shared out this blog post by Jesse Stormier: "Put Your Inbox in the Upstairs Bathroom". And it immediately clicked for me: living inside the inbox is just too easy. This, of course, makes the shift to living outside the inbox even more difficult, as people don't change until the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change.
This really can come down to a chicken or egg issue: is our addiction to email fueled by the ease of use, or is the ease of use driven by our addiction? In either case the solution, in part, is just as easy. In Jesse's post he notes how he switched from a slick GUI client and push notifications to using a command line email client, akin to putting his inbox as far away from him as his upstairs bathroom. Now, for a Unix guru that's a rather elegantly simple solution, as he is more than comfortable with the command line I'm sure. I'm even guessing it would work for a number of you reading this post here on developerWorks as well, knowing your technical excellence often has you playing on the command line.
Me? I'm lazy. While putting my inbox in the upstairs bathroom is a grand idea (my home office is upstairs, so it really isn't much of a trip at all), going as far as using Mutt on the CLI to access it is more akin to putting my inbox in my backyard, or for other people it may even be closer to their postal box down the street. Making email hard to use isn't really the point of "working outside of the inbox". Rather, the intent is to improve our collaborative efforts using tools better suited to the tasks and not automatically default to using email unless it really is the right tool for the job. So, let's make it easy!
Ok, but where's the solution? What's the recommendation? Two simple parts come to mind here:
Turn off notifications- More than anything, notifications are likely the biggest contributor to time wasted in the inbox. It is human nature to want to clear a flag, or notice, or other indicator that there is an email waiting for us. This is even more compounded if you have any obsessive/compulsive tendencies at all. The need to address a notice immediately can often be too great to ignore, and thus the interruption occurs. (Just in the time I've taken writing this post I've scurried off to deal with no less than 5 notifications about email messages arriving and awaiting my action.) So turn them off. Notices are much easier to ignore if you can't see them.
Close your email client when you aren't using it- As simple as it sounds, for me this is more akin to putting my inbox in the upstairs bathroom. I don't have to go through the extra effort of accessing it via command line, since the time taken to actively think about checking my messages then open my email client and wait for it to load is sufficient. Out of sight out of mind, right? Don't leave it running but minimized, or in another browser tab but not focused. Close it. Completely.
With these two easy bits covered, my last recommendation will be to schedule specific and focused time in your day to address your inbox messages, freeing you from the shackles of your inbox the rest of the day! I know a few people around here only deal with email first thing in the morning when they arrive to work, and last thing before they leave (in between, of course, is when real work is being done and collaboration occurring all across the organization in the right tools for the jobs at hand). Or perhaps scheduling three times to check: on arrival, right after lunch, and again before leaving for the day.
Regardless of how you go about it, finding what works for you is the key to enjoying a life outside of your inbox. I assure you, it is absolutely worth the mild pain of change!
Homo Sapiens are not the only intelligent ones.. IBM Rational Rhapsody seems to be enhancing its ‘thinking’ capabilities with the introduction of version 8.0.5.
Let us consider you are connecting two ‘actions’ in an Activity diagram with an ObjectFlow. Until the release of 8.0.5, performing the same erroneous step would result in the following error message:
Now in IBM Rational Rhapsody 8.0.5, it automatically understands the error and intention and corrects it by converting the link to a ControlFlow (which happens to be the Intended behaviour). Isn’t that smart?
Similarly, Until the previous release (Rational Rhapsody 8.0.4), you would get the following message when an ‘Action' is connected to an ‘Object Node’ through a ControlFlow:
Here again intelligence of Rational Rhapsody 8.0.5 can be observed, the ControlFlow automatically gets converted to an ObjectFlow when an ‘Action' is connected to an ‘Object Node’:
Now that we are back from "rainy" Orlando, Fla. and a great VoiCE and Innovate, have you had further thoughts about the soon to release, Rational License Key Administration and Reporting Tool?
It was wonderful to meet so many of you in person at VoiCE and Innovate, and to hear your enthusiasm for this new licence feature. And, rest assured, the important feedback and suggestions you gave at VoiCE and Innovate have already been heard by our development teams. So, keep it coming!
If you walked away with further thoughts and suggestions from the VoiCE presentation or the Innovate Labs pedestal on the Rational License Key Administration and Reporting tool, please don't hesitate to reach out to me: jcbalin@us.ibm.com Or, you can leave your thoughts, here, as a comment response to this blog post.
If you did not attend VoiCE or Innovate, and have questions about the soon to release Rational License Key Administration and Reporting tool, you too should feel free to reach out to me, or contact your IBM Rational sales lead about the tool. If you are under an NDA, we can show you what was presented at Voice and Innovate prior to release.
Thanks, and I look forward to our continued collaboration on the new Rational License Key Administration and Reporting tool.
Author: Jane Balin, PHD.
Product Manager, IBM Rational Common Licensing
IBM Rational products requests licenses in a specific order. In an organization we may have combination of authorized user, floating, suite, point-product licenses in the environment, it is essential that we understand the license usage order.
Now let’s try to understand the license usage order. An IBM Rational product that users IBM Rational Common Licensing will request the license in the following order.
Authorized user license before floating license.
An IBM Rational product will request for an authorized user license before a floating license regardless of whether it is a floating license or point-product license.
Point-product license before a Suite license.
For example: IBM Rational Purify is sold as a standalone product and as a part of Rational Suite. Among the group of authorized user license and floating license, Purify will first request a Purify license, and then request various Rational Suite licenses in specific order.
Suite license of the last Rational Suite installed.
For version 7.0 of IBM Rational products, the license key usage order has changed. In releases before 7.0, when a Suite product was being installed, the Rational License Key Administrator (LKAD) application would first try to find a license key corresponding to the Suite. If the Suite key was not available, LKAD would then look for a key corresponding to the product that was running.
You can use the License Usage Mapper in LKAD to change the release 7.0 license usage order or have the application not search for any or all Suite keys.
The table below describes the license usage order for each IBM Rational Product that uses IBM Rational Common Licensing.
IBM Rational product
Default search order (from first to last)
ClearCase
ClearCase
ClearCase LT
ClearCase LT, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform™, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio®, Rational Suite AnalystStudio®, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
ClearQuest
ClearQuest, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio, Rational Suite AnalystStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
ProjectConsole
ProjectConsole, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio, Rational Suite AnalystStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
PurifyPlus
PurifyPlus, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
Quantify
Quantify, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
PureCoverage
PureCoverage, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
RequisitePro®
RequisitePro, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio, Rational Suite AnalystStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
Robot
Robot, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational TestStudio
Rose Enterprise
Rose Enterprise, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio
Rose DataModeler
Rose DataModeler, Rational Suite AnalystStudio
Rose Modeler
Rose Modeler
Rose C++
Rose C++
Rose Professional J
Rose Professional J
Rose VB
Rose VB
Rose RealTime
Rose RealTime
SoDA
SoDA for Word, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio, Rational Suite AnalystStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
Test RealTime
Test RealTime
TestManager
TestManager, Rational Suite Enterprise, Rational Suite Team Unifying Platform, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio, Rational Suite TestStudio, Rational Suite AnalystStudio, Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio RealTime
RUP
Not Applicable
XDE
Not Applicable
Now let’s check how to change the license usage order. Any changes made in the license usage order can be reversed to previous setting by clicking the "Restore to Defaults" in the license usage mapping window.
To change the license usage order:
Launch IBM Rational License Key Administrator.
From the menu bar, click on Setting -> License Usage Mapper.
In the License Usage Mapper Window make sure that correct product is selected in the "Installed Products". The check boxes that are selected indicates which licenses the license server can check out for the selected product In "License Usage Order".
The order of license usage can be changed by clicking on the Up and Down buttons. Ensure the check boxes next to these licenses are selected.
Click OK.
The license usage order that you set on your computer is tied to your user ID. If different users log in to your computer with their own user IDs, the license usage order that you may have changed resets to the default order. The new users can set the license usage order for their user IDs. Their settings do not affect your settings.
Well, your intrepid adventurers have 3 days of Working Outside the Inbox
under our belts and I thought this a would be a good time to discuss in
a little more depth about how we are doing this.
Lets
start with Step 1: Stop replying to email. This step would really be more
accurately described as Mindful Processing of Email but that doesn't sound nearly as provocative and attention-grabbing, and wouldn't make nearly so many people's heads explode, which wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
So listen: this is what we are really doing.
Stop.
Think
of this as stopping the reflexive knee-jerk reaction of working in your
inbox, simply reading and replying. We've all become very well trained by our inboxes: receive an email, send an email. Read your incoming email and
then...
Stop. Think. Ask yourself a few questions along these lines:
is someone else likely to ask the same question?
would this exchange, or the bit of knowledge/information shared, be of use to anyone else?
what is the best way to share this information or conduct this transaction?
is there a smarter, more efficient, more collaborative, open and transparent way to work?
Change begins with us (and you!)
Here are some wild and crazy ideas on how you can work effectively and openly and without being chained to your inbox:
Use the content repository or content management system of your choice as long
as it's NOT YOUR MACHINE. Don't become the bottleneck, or the
single point of failure. Put your stuff where people can find it and get it. When people email and ask you for that information, give them a link to the information where you've posted it.
Use wiki pages for knowledge
capture and on-demand access. One example, instead of keeping your
project status or metrics in a spreadsheet on your machine, think open
and transparent and provide that data on a wiki page. if your manager
expects a weekly status report, put it there.
Use
discussion forums for collaboration, idea sharing and brainstorming.....or collecting a quick temperature check from your community. Don't conduct a lengthy email exchange with one or more people about it. Be the first to suggest there is a better way to conduct this conversation.
Use the community blog for news, announcements, and community-wide
communications. Why blog? To take advantage of all the technology that allows us to
share knowledge more widely ... tags, RSS feeds, aggregators, search....
the list goes on. Rather than sending an 800mg email that immediately
plunges 20% of your unsuspecting audience into "mail jail", try blogging your news. Oh, the
80% who aren't in mail jail? I posit that 40% will not read it anyway, either deliberately or by
accident when it scrolls "below the fold" amidst a barrage of other
people sending news, asking questions, and, worst of all, sharing files.
Besides, I bet a couple of weeks from now, someone's
going to ask you for the information again anyway.
Speaking of sharing files.... There are better ways. Instead
of mailing a slide deck to 10 people for review and comments, use Connections and if you MUST send an email, send a link to where you have
posted the file (or the wiki page from which you are working) so that
it can benefit the greatest number of people, who can then bookmark it / subscribe to it / grab the RSS feed, or otherwise self-serve
when they need the information. Which means the doc owner doesn't need to send the updated
file out to a cast of thousands either.
Oh, it all just makes so much SENSE.
So
no, we're not giving up email entirely, and there will be times that we
will (gasp!) send an email. We're just going to be mindful in our work
and aim to get the maximum value from each interaction.
So, stop and think.
Just because a conversation starts in email doesn't mean it belongs there.
To add a Headline Widget with some text and image follow the below steps :-
A viewlet can be added in a new page or in the existing columns
1) As per your requirement add a page or column (only 3 columns can be added to a page)
2) Select the column and click - Add Viewlet
3) Click the Browse button to select available widgets and select Headline
4) Click on Add Memento
4.1) To have a viewlet without Title Bar, you can set the Trim option -> No Trim
5) Add a Property to the memento. Name -> "title"
Type -> "String"
Value -> The value that you want to see as Heading in Dashboard.
6) Add 2 more Property named "text" and "image"
7) For Property "text" Name -> "text"
Type -> "String"
Value -> Any data that you want to display (To add space between two para add <p> <p>). Example shown in below screen-shot
8) For property "image"
To add an image we first need to find the value/location of image. To find this information, add a Headline Widget to any Dashboard. Edit the settings, now select the image you want add from drop down. Right click on Image and select "Copy Image Location".
Paste the copied Image Location on a notepad for editing.
The URL that gets copied will look something like below example:
https://<PublicURI>:<Port>/ccm/service/com.ibm.team.dashboard.common.internal.service.IDashboardImageService?path=com.ibm.team.dashboard.viewlets.web%2Fgraphics%2Fheadlines%2Fimages%2Fheadline-accessibility.gif
Now just copy the text after "path=" from above copied Image Location. For example below:
If you encounter the NT LAN Manager version 2 (NTLM v2) "Authentication failed" error in IBM Rational Performance Tester, you can follow the steps in the below technote to set up NTLM v2 in RPT:
Along with the steps in the technote above, also make sure that the 'Host' field contains the System name and the 'Doman' field contains the domain name, as seen in the attached screen-shot -
influence: (ˈɪnflʊəns) — n. An effect of one person or thing on another resulting from ability, wealth, position, etc.
Here in Rational Support, we understand the deep value of influence and thought leadership. We work hard to make sure our experiences across the organization are captured and shared out to help all of our clients and other IBMers alike reuse and benefit from our collective knowledge. One of these ways is through our periodic "Top Content" posts which highlight the most reused support content in the prior month.
Identifying and quantifying the value of what we do, however, isn't quite as easy. This is something that we've touched on before, and something which is a huge trend in the 'social' industry today: measuring value. Recently I ran across this article from Wired Magazine discussing one of these ranking systems: Klout. In the closing of this article the author, Seth Stevenson, posits that while this tool is becoming more of a pivotal piece in the social spaces it is likely missing a key factor (or more) to really crack the nut of measuring influence and subsequently value. Seth makes an important note on his own anxieties and calling out what he has seen in terms of who the biggest score holders are: big names that appear caught in an echo chamber, versus those he finds truly interesting who tend to have lower scores across the board.
In Rational Support, we believe we've stayed away from that echo chamber effect in our social spaces, instead focusing in on the information that is critical and necessary for you, our clients, to be successful in your businesses. Sure, we may watch our Klout score with a little interest, but we don't let that drive how we do our jobs. Our core beliefs remain squarely client-first; even if that means our content isn't "viral", or provocative, or witty enough to catapult us into internet fame... we remain focused on you and getting the right information to you when you need it.
Given that influence is comprised of so many differing variables, both observable and intuitive, how would YOU quantify your influence? What are those key factors or variables that are important to you, which do you look for to identify the influencers in your networks? Let us know in the comments below!
Please join our Bangalore support team on Tuesday, May 25th, 3-4pm IST, for an informative open mic on Managing Rational Performance Tester and Rational Functional Tester test assets in Rational Quality Manager.
Briefing for the Topic We will start the session with a brief discussion on RFT, RPT and RQM tools and the main course covering the integrations of RFT; RPT with RQM and then list out the benefits, value addition this integration provides to customers. We will also have a demo towards the end of the discussion and a summary on the concepts discussed.
About Rational Quaiity Manager IBM® Rational® Quality Manager is collaborative, Web-based, quality management software for comprehensive test planning and test asset management throughout the software life cycle. Built on the Jazz™ platform, it is for test teams of all sizes and supports a variety of user roles, such as test manager, test architect, test lead, tester, and lab manager, as well as roles outside of the test organization.
Rational Quality Manager enables users to manage and run automated test scripts created with other test tools by integrating RQM with the testing tools. You can create test scripts in RQM that refer to existing tests that were created with IBM® Rational® Functional Tester, Rational Performance Tester, Rational Service Tester, Rational Robot, and Rational AppScan Tester Edition.
Target Audience
IBM® Rational® Functional Tester (RFT), IBM® Rational® Performance Tester (RPT), IBM® Rational® Quality Manager (RQM) customers and IBM internal contacts.
Verification points are used to verify whether the expected behavior occurred during a playback of the test script or verify the state of a control or an object. When you create a verification point, you are capturing information about a control or an object in the application to establish this as baseline information for comparison during playback.
During script playback, the property is compared to see whether any changes have occurred in the application, either intentionally or unintentionally. This is useful for identifying possible defects when an application has been upgraded for example. An error is reported if the expected behavior did not occur.
Verification points can be created for any of the object properties while recording a script or you can insert a verification point anytime in the script
Here are the steps to create a verification point
1. In Rational Test Workbench capture android mobile test script and open the test script and in the Test Contents area as shown in pic 1 below:
2. Click an action item for which you want to create a verification point. Refer to pic 2 below:
Note: Edit Text has been selected as an object in below example.
3. Click the insert button and select Verification point for Android or Web UI, depending on the target application. Refer pic 2.
4. Alternatively right-click the selection or click Options and insert in the test editor to select the menu item as shown in Pic 3.
5. Apart from the above methods, Verification point can also be created from the screen captures or elements from the Mobile Data section. Refer to pic 4 and pic 5 below:
6. In the Test Element Details section select a value for the Graphic object (Edit Text) and Verify attribute (Text) artifacts identified as required for the action selected. Refer to pic 6 and 7 below:
Pic 6:
Pic 7:
7. Some artifacts are dependent on others, so when you select an attribute, you must select the values required for the options related to the selected attribute. To combine several attributes for the selected object, select the choice all of and select the object’s attribute.
8. In below pic verification point is created on Text and Is enabled attributes. Refer to Pic 8 below:
9. Optionally select the Retry verification point until attribute is verified or time out expires and enter a value for the time out. The values in the graphic object and attributes lists are different for web UI apps and Android apps.
10. Save the test script and initiate the play back
Result :
Case 1: Play back succeeds if the verification point conditions are met. If VP passes you would see the verification result in green color as mentioned in the below image.
Case 2: Play back fails if the verification point conditions are not met and Fails. If VP fails you would see the verification result in red color as mentioned in the below image
This video demonstrates the usage of the installutil commands
"unlockschemarepo" and "unlockuserdb" in IBM Rational ClearQuest. The
commands unlock your databases in the event that a logical database lock
exists.
Today we spotlight Laurel Dickson-Bull. As a certified Project Management Professional, Laurel has her hands in a number of different programs at the leadership level, as you'll find below. But don't be fooled, she also has her hands in numerous hobbies and projects outside of work as well! Read on to learn more about Laurel's work and interests, and maybe you'll have something to chat about when you run into her during her numerous VoiCE events or other program collaborations!
Tell us a little about yourself: who are you, what is your role in Rational Client Support? I am a Client Programs Manager, which means I run beta programs, Design Partner Programs and VoiCE Events.
How long have you been working for IBM and Rational? I have worked for IBM 7 years. I like to say I am "heritage Rational", but the fact is I worked for Rational only two weeks before the IBM acquisition.
Have you had any other roles in Rational? My first job in Rational/IBM was as the Globalization Program Manager for ClearCase and ClearQuest. This was before we started using the IBM Globalization processes. I managed the release of the first Japanese version of the products, fondly remembered by some as "McKinley-I".
What are you currently working on? I am currently running a managed beta program for Rational Focal Point, a Design Partner Program for Rational Focal Point and Rational Project Conductor, setting up a Design Partner Program for Rational Insight and helping with the 2010 Workbench for CLM beta.
Describe a normal day for you. I'm up at 6:00, walk the dog, make sure the kids are out the door, then drive 5 miles to work at the Littleton, Massachusetts Lab (I know I AM lucky to have such a short commute!). My work day consists of planning meetings with the product teams to set up client programs and monitor feedback. I spend a good deal of my time answering client questions, meeting with clients and preparing for client meetings. So I am on the phone a good deal. I love my headset! I collaborate a lot with the other client program managers in my team to improve our internal processes. We recently created a "process wiki" to document and share all of our team's processes, as well as a database to manage all our team data and metrics.
What project are you the most proud of? I have had a lot of great experiences since I have been in the Client Programs team. Probably my proudest accomplishment is helping to grow the team. Managed beta, open beta, Design Partner and VoiCE (Voice of the Client Event) have become household words in Rational. Last year, I was fortunate to lead the first VoiCE events in China and Germany. It was a pleasure to build VoiCE from scratch in those geographies and to get to know the local marketing teams and the clients. Plus, I love to travel.
Are you a gadget person? What type of gadgets do you use? I do like gadgets, but I tend to loose them. I had an iPod Nano (twice) that I loved, but alas, I lost it (twice). I haven't replaced the second one...
What gadget, which you currently own, can you not live without? Is a car a gadget? I cannot imagine my summer commute without my 1995 Miata convertible.
What is your favorite part of working for Rational Client Support? I like working with the customers and connecting them with colleagues who write, test and support our products. I also think the senior management in Support has a good sense of humor.
What inspires you in your work? My current team inspires me. They are hard working, smart and inventive. It's amazing how the Client Programs team has grown in the last two years - from a small US team of three to an international team of nine. We expect to run about 30 beta programs and nearly 20 Design Partner Programs in 2010.
How do you define success? Doing what you love, loving what you do and then watching your kids do it even better.
In your spare time, if you have any, what hobbies or activities interest you? I like too many things... it's hard to get really good at anything. Right now my hobbies are community volunteer activities, gardening, reading, and I am learning to oil paint. My father painted, my sister and brother also both paint... I guess it was inevitable!
Do you have any big plans for the future? I visited my son in Barcelona, Spain this spring. The Dali museum was unreal (actually, surreal). I adored the architecture of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona: ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD ). My next trip I expect will be to one of the national parks next summer.
What is on your nightstand with regard to reading? I just finished "The Unnamed" by Joshua Ferris. It was a strange book, but thought-provoking. I am currently reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". It's a good summer read.
What future technology would make your life easier? I would like to be able to use a transporter like on Star Trek. That way if we have extra food left over after a company barbecue we could send it immediately to hungry children anywhere in the world. I like to imagine that technology will help with things like that in the future.
What are you doing to make the planet smarter? I am sending my three children to college! They should be smarter when they graduate.
How do you prefer to find answers to your questions? I Google a lot. I visit Google news. For work-related things, I tend to SameTime or phone people. I am not shy about that. I think using the phone is underrated. We need to email less, talk more. How are you using social networking today? I use Facebook to keep up with family, friends, colleagues. Also Linked in for professional connections. I tried Tweeting for awhile, but I got bored with it. I use Lotus Communities extensively.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Paying my last tuition bill. Probably in another position at IBM, hopefully leading and growing a team. Working on the side as famous oil painter (ha!).
Are you following us on your preferred social channel? Did you know we've recently launched a GooglePlus and Tumblr blog? While no channel is meant to be a catch-all, we want to get you the information you want and need in the channels you are most comfortable with. Do you find twitter is the best place to find our content and engage with us? Follow us there! Twitter not your style but rather you prefer Facebook? We're posting there as well to help you find the right information at the right time! Check out our news document linked below to see all the channels on which we're active and follow us on the ones you're most comfortable with:
Without losing sight of the work we do in the newer social channels, we also want to ensure you don't forget about some of the most effective community based channels out there surrounding Rational products and topics. Finding answers from previous questions, or even direct community based help with your own specific question can be a great way to leverage the collective wisdom, but even better is when you can join in the conversations and share your own expertise to help others.
While the above are great resources for truly social support with clients and IBMers alike all participating, we also recognize that this isn't a complete list of all the forums or social channels out there. Is your favourite one missing? Let us know in the comments and we'll add it to the list! Or, do you have some other favourite method for finding answers or sharing answers which we haven't touched on? We'd love to hear about those as well!
Now available in the open beta for ClearQuest 8.0.1 is the improved ability to update multiple records in the ClearQuest Web client. ClearQuest development has recorded a demonstration of the changes and would like your feedback!
In ClearQuest Web 7.1 and 8.0, it was only possible to perform simple modifications to multiple records. The feature now has several improvements, including the ability to perform state transitions on multiple records. You can find the demonstration of these changes in the download list for the ClearQuest Open Beta.
This feature is still in development, and your feedback is appreciated to help with improvements. See ClearQuest Open Beta Support for info on posting feedback or questions. Keep in mind that ClearQuest 8.0.1 is in beta and is subject to change. See the open beta website for more information on the program's terms and conditions.
In lieu of a "Meet the Peeps" post this week (due to vacations, holidays, etcetera) I thought I may wax philosophic for a moment about "community"and building connections.
Within Rational Client Support, we have been driving various efforts to help build our network of communities both internally and externally facing. Some of these initiatives have been more successful than others, but in every instance I have found some level of personal and professional growth because of the people I have connected with as a result of my involvement in each of those spaces.
In particular, the "Meet the Peeps of Rational Support" series has given me opportunity to connect with far more people than my typical day job would normally keep me in touch with. And that's a bit of the point of this series; to bring a face, an authentic voice, and connection to the real people who work everyday to make Rational Support what it is. So often we are all buried with work behind our monitors that the human connections between client and organization can be easily forgotten. "Meet the Peeps" is our simple attempt to bring that human connection back into frame and remind us all that while we are a business, we are also a community of people with a common thread that binds us.
So what does all this mean to you? If you're an IBMer it means you now have a name and a face to professionally connect with, and we all know professional connections are a great thing! Of course, if you are one of our external clients, it means there ARE real people here with a single goal of helping you resolve problems, to help you find solutions or answer questions, or simply assist you in any other way we can. It means you have a direct connection to the people who can help. It also means you are a part of a larger community of people in your same position; clients who are out in the ether, looking for information to help you in your own jobs... and if you stop to think about it, that is a very cool thing when realizing the potential for community-sourcing solutions!
Now (I can hear you asking yourself) where else might you find us? I am sure you know about our Twitter and Facebook presence (and obviously our blog here) but did you also know Rational Support has a Youtube channel or a regional Twitter account for Rational Support India? And those are just the accounts we 'own'; we also play on LinkedIn groups, and of course on developerWorks in some of the various product communities all with the intent of sharing knowledge and building community for both clients and IBMers alike.
While some of the tools may indeed be a passing fad only to be replaced by the next big thing down the line, the overall concept of what they do is as universal a truth and critical to the future as you can find: bringing people together and enabling them to build relationships and connections with people and companies. If you aren't playing in the social spaces popping up all over the internet, you're likely missing out on highly valuable and useful information that can help drive your professional as well as personal goals to success.
So jump on in, join the conversation, and get connected! .
Here is another good lesson, among many that I happened to learn, while working with a customer using IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC). While this may not serve as a supported solution for the issue reported, perhaps it can serve as a pointer or guide on the types of things to look for.
Issue reported:
--------------------
A user starts IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC) Eclipse client and sees that his personal preferences were lost.
I asked user to send metadata.zip file located in the Eclipse workspace path. For example: C:\Users\Administrator\workspace\.metadata
Here were a few significant messages in the .metadata/.log file:
*****
!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.resources 4 567 2013-04-15 10:48:06.160
!MESSAGE Workspace restored, but some problems occurred.
!SUBENTRY 1 org.eclipse.core.resources 4 567 2013-04-15 10:48:06.160
!MESSAGE Could not read metadata for
'U:/RTC/'TEST'/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.re
sources/.projects/Abandon/.markers'.
!STACK 0
java.io.EOFException
at java.io.DataInputStream.readInt(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.MarkerReader.readVersionNumber(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.MarkerReader.read(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.MarkerManager.restoreFromSave(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.MarkerManager.restore(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.SaveManager.restoreMarkers(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.SaveManager.restore(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.SaveManager.startup(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Workspace.startup(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Workspace.open(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.resources.ResourcesPlugin.start(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl$1.run(Unknown Source)
*****
Based on the message, it was clear that the user was using a particular workspace and when he tried to launch Eclipse client using this, he sees that his personal preferences were lost.
He tried to start the Eclipse client fresh and saw this issue.
The user did not try to change the workspace of the RTC Eclipse Client prior to this.
I got a confirmation that the user had the default Eclipse installed with RTC client and did not have a separate installation of Eclipse. Just one instance of RTC Eclipse client.
I did verify the total physical RAM on the machine where the user saw this problem and they had enough RAM. (8 GB)
I wanted to verify the heap memory allocated to the Eclipse client, the details which were in the eclipse.ini file.
Example: For default RTC Eclipse client, the location is:
C:\Program Files\IBM\TeamConcert\eclipse.ini
I wanted to know the values for the entry "-vmargs -Xms100m -Xmx512m" here. They were using the default entry here for the heap memory allocation and was good enough. They had the room to increase this though, since the available physical RAM was 8 GB.
I asked the user to get the build details of the Eclipse client; Go to Help --> About Rational Team Concert. This lists the RTC version along with the build details.
Work-around/Resolution Steps:
After analyzing the .metadata\.log file and the errors in there, we found that for some reason the preferences were lost due to workspace
corruption. What caused this, I am not aware yet though.
Normally, here are the steps users should try in case of lost preferences and to avoid loss of preferences:
In the Eclipse client, navigate to File --> Switch Workspace --> Choose the current one in use; In the Workspace Launcher --> Copy Settings --> 'select' Workbench Layout; Then point to a new Workspace path and verify the outcome.
The RTC client is built on Eclipse and the user preferences are backed up, like in Eclipse client, by going to File --> Export --> General --> Preferences and saving this file.
In case of any corruption or loss of personal preferences, just import this file to restore the preferences.
Apart, all settings are stored in the .metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings directory. The .metadata/.plugins directory might have many more directories with settings, but they are generally project specific.
So if you want to create a new Eclipse workspace and preserve all your settings, simply copy the .metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings directory into your new workspace directory.
Lastly, it is also a good practice to do a full backup weekly, with corresponding incremental backups daily of the user's workspace. This provided, it's critical for the user to restore their complete previous workspace. Yes, backing up of the workspace is not a light procedure but a good practice, if there is a need.
I hope this gives some idea for users and the steps that can be taken, in case of a similar situation.
It may be interesting to know if a common timeline for all project area's in IBM Collaborative Lifecycle Management tool is possible.
The production level scenario is that a team has Requirements Management (RNDG), Configuration & Change Management (CCM) and Quality management (RQM) activities, using LPA. But the fact is that you have to create separate timeline/iteration schedule for all 3 project areas, and then remember to update all copies whenever you would make a change. This can be of tedious if your development activities demand timelines for all 3 phases to be the same.
Now let me take you through the current behavior of timeline/iteration usage in all 3 components for IBM Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM).
Requirements Management using Rational DOORS Next Generation (RNDG) :
There is no support for timelines in RDNG.
RDNG does however have the concept of baselines that can be used to snapshot the state of artifacts, and with the introduction of DNG 6.0, there is now support for configuration management
You might want to take a look here for the new configuration management support: Administering configurations
License Key Center and its Features:
Most IBM Rational software products require specific license keys in order to use them. The instructions discussed in this blog will guide you to the IBM Rational License Key Center (LKC), and the on-line service for generating and managing your license keys.
Accessing the IBM Rational License Key Center:
Now in order to access license key center you must be a member of the IBM Rational License Key Centeraccount for your company to generate your license keys. When ordering Rational products from IBM, the person placing the order is set as the account administrator. The person is sent a welcome email containing a temporary password for logging on to the Rational License Key Center.
So the IBM Rational License Key Center is the online licensing tool that you use to get or return your Rational software license keys and much more.
To access the License Key Center:
Go to the IBM Rational support Licensing Web page.
Click the IBM Rational License Key Center link and then click on Continue.
Log in to the IBM Rational License Key Center.
FYI : The website is designed for ease of access of clients located in different geographies, hence you will have an option "Translate my page" (on the right side of the page) to translate the page to language which best suites you.
NOTE: You may access the links given at the end of this doc in order to login to LKC and perform different activities on the web which will be discussed in this document.
Let's assume you have provided the username and password and selected the account ID (for the account you want to login. If you are a member of multiple License Key Center accounts, please select the account you wish to use for the current session. You can switch accounts after signing in by using the "Switch Account" link on the left hand navigation bar.) This is how it looks:
So, welcome to the license key center! Let's get started understanding different tabs as shown on the left. The first tab will be My license keys ! Great, that's why we are here! It will help you generate license keys...
My License Keys:
Get keys:
This tab will help you generate licenses for the product to which you are entitled. You can choose from different product line as shown once you click on it,
View and return keys:
Want to move an old server to a new one? This tab will be of great help. It will help you return license generated for a old machine and you will have the license back to the license pool. You will be able to generate this license for a different machine whenever necessary. (Go to get keys in order to generate licenses.)
View keys by host:
Where is your license, on which machine is it deployed, and/or how will you know if you have to return it? This is the place you should be looking at; it will help you locate the host on which you have deployed your current license. Please see the picture below:
View Keys by Users:
This option/tab will help you understand who has generated this licenses and when this was generated.
Listed below are all the licenses generated by the User you selected, ordered by Product Line, and the Date the License was Generated in reversed order. To see the details from one or more Licenses, select the check boxes and click "View Details".
Moving on to the second section on the license key center page we have ORDERS:
View order history:
Order history tab will list all your orders. You may select the order number to see the details of a particular order, or select the license keys link to see the keys needed for the product(s) on the order.
Accounts and members:
Which people are associated to your company's account, how many people can access this account, what are the permissions each one has, and much more will be present if you explore this tab. It will help you add member, inactivate member, and search for members.
Join new account:
Don't have a password or need to add yourself to a new account?
Enter the information under this section and IBM will add you to the account and issue new users a password for signing in. Upon submitting this form, you will be added to the account and emailed a password you will need to complete the login process.
Switch account:
You are a member of multiple License Key Center accounts. You may select the account you wish to use for the current session. You can switch accounts after signing in by using the "Switch Account" link on the left hand navigation bar.
Next section is PREFERENCES:
Change password:
This will change your current password to a new one of your choice. Your new password must be at least 8 characters in length, contain a mix of alphabetic and non-alphabetic characters (numbers, punctuation or special characters), or a mix of at least two non-alphabetic characters.
Email preferences:
This tab will help you choose your email preferences for account administration messages.
Product preferences:
You may set your Preferences for the Product(s) to which you are entitled.
Email: Do you want to receive Update Notifications for this Product?
View: Do you want to view this Product as you navigate through your Rational License Key Center site or Search for Products?
NOTE : View is automatically selected if you choose to receive Email for this Product.
Under HELP section you will be able to find support
News:
What's happening around, what is new, Announcement Letter, etc will be uploaded here.
FAQ & Video tutorials:
Most IBM Rational software products require specific license keys in order to use them. The Rational License Key Center (LKC) is an online license key delivery and management service that provides you easy access to the keys associated with your IBM Rational products. Once you've read through the documentation and watched the video tutorials available you will be able to leverage many features within the License Key Center that can help you better manage your license keys and help you stay compliant.
Rational support:
For any help in using this service or questions regarding your account, please contact IBM Rational Software Support, you will have all possible support contacts available here.
Language:
Chose among different languages under this section and it's just a click away.
Logout:
We are done you may logout or start exploring License key center.
We've got some amazing speakers from Rational Client Support presenting some wonderfully informative sessions at Innovate the new IBM Technical Summit this year!
Take a look at the table below and be sure to add the sessions to your agenda! Where possible, the session ID links to the InnovateSmartSite.comagenda search for that particular session to make it easy to add in to your daily view!
As we did last year, we will also remind you of the sessions for the day during Innovate on the days they will be presented... so keep an eye on the blog and make sure you don't miss out on these great talks!
A virtual scenario for practice performing a CLM server rename
There are various reasons to desire to change the server name: corporate policies change, changing subnets, or to have a fully qualified domain name. There are several use cases which are supported by the server rename capabilities in Rational CLM from creating a new staging environment to going from pilot to production. This hands-on workshop will enable the user to understand the planning and activities involved with renaming a CLM server.
Gerald Mitchell, Rational Global Response Team (GRT)
Heather Sterling, Rational Jazz Development
Scrum is one of the most popular approaches used by agile teams and Rational Team Concert one of the best tools available to support it. We briefly review the Scrum framework and then work through an example of setting up a product backlog and planning and executing the first sprint.
Millard Ellingsworth, Community Leader - Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Come discuss the manner in which you manage IBM Rational deployments and troubleshoot problems. What works for you and what is lacking? The session leader will review recent serviceability work in the CLM Solution, RDz, and other tools. Use this opportunity to provide the Rational team requirements for the information and tools you need to manage solution deployments. Will touch on the recently introduced Deployment Wiki, Smarter Server (a prototype), recent product upgrades for RDz, RQM, RTC, RRC.
Sharon Tavilla, Program Director Client Solutions Support Gerald Mitchell, Rational Global Response Team (GRT) Susan LaFera, Program Director, Rational User Technologies
RCS Session: Achieving success with the right technical information
Come join the Rational content development leads to discuss how the world of technical information is changing. Here is your chance to tell us what you need! The information to help you succeed lives in many places and many forms. Learn about recent changes that make it quicker and easier to find Rational technical content.
Susan LaFera, Program Director, Rational User Technologies
Knowledge Sharing is a key initiative of the Accelerated Value Program. In this roundtable discussion, we'll exchange ideas for how Rational solution architects and administrators obtain the advanced knowledge necessary to effectively plan, deploy, and maintain their Rational infrastructure. We'll discuss the best sources of online information, explore opportunities for more formal learning, and exchange ideas for other enablement strategies aimed at ensuring that knowledge gained translates into improved stability and performance for your Rational tool environment.
Craig Branham, Curriculum Architect for Enterprise Modernization - Rational User Education Jim Tykal, IBM Accelerated Value Leader
Jazzing up Rational Customer Service with Rational Team Concert and Rational ClearQuest using Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC)
With a number of disparate systems used to handle the various aspects of customer issues, we had a process of organized chaos that lacked efficiency and was full of communication issues. We needed to implement a new system that closed these gaps, improved efficiency, and customer satisfaction all while utilizing our products and current technology to the best of its abilities. We utilized a combination of Rational ClearQuest (CQ) and Rational Team Concert (RTC) to handle customer escalations, situations, enhancements, and defects. The use of OSLC allowed us to create an integrated solution with RTC work items and CQ records to reduce information duplication and operational costs, foster collaboration between support and development, improve metrics gathering, and simplify the user experience. Rational is sharing our best practices with our customers so they have a better understanding of how we use our own tools and how they can help you get issues resolved.
Christopher Quinones, Software Programmer Manager - IBM Package Developer, CCB, ROCR
Strategies for planning and completing a successful CLM upgrade
Rational CLM products are powerful tools and as time goes on, it may be come time to upgrade to the latest version to make use of more features, add in a product offering, or migrate to a different application server. Upgrading and migrating as time goes on can require additional planning for downtime, additional product and version dependencies. Designing and implementing a strategy for success is crucial for a smooth transition. As an example, moving from an older version of Rational CLM products such as 2.0.1.1 to the latest versions require moving through intermediate steps and a thorough understanding of system setup and requirements through the process is critical to success.
Gerald Mitchell, Rational Global Response Team (GRT)
Paul Ellis, Rational Global Response Team (GRT)
Rosa Naranjo, Jazz Jumpstart - CLM Upgrades, OSLC, RRC/RM
This session will explore issues and strategies for CLM administrators, and how to avoid some of these problems when planning and enacting deployments, including presentation of some resources to enable administrator success. The presenters will introduce themselves and their roles and duties and speak on common escalations issues for Administrators as seen by Rational client success organizations. There will be a brief overview of resources for administrators. An example of resources for administrators will be demonstrated.
The presenters will then answer questions and take comments.
Gerald Mitchell, Rational Global Response Team (GRT)
Ginny Ghezzo, Rational Client Relations
Craig Chaney, Jazz Server Development
Fast-Tracking the Deployment and Management of Multi-Instance Rational Team Concert Implementations and Integrations in a Multi-Network Environment
In this presentation, the audience will see innovative concepts in the areas of architecture, virtualization, and automation to support robust and complex Rational Team Concert environments – developed to reduce deployment overhead and increase ROI..
By leveraging virtual technologies and common best practices have helped in the development of a more modular, standardized implementation approach and architecture for RTC along with supporting services and integrations. This solution looks at an approach to solve the challenges of deploying across disconnected networks, allowing for a lean team of administrators to manage over 60 disparate environments both consistently and predictably. You will see innovative concepts in the areas of architecture, virtualization, and automation to support robust and complex RTC environments – developed in the name of survival.
Stephen Seifert, IBM Accelerated Value Leader
Gray Ross, Raytheon Missile Systems
Tips & Tricks for Efficient IBM Online Support – Learn What’s Changed & How to Get Your Answers Quickly
IBM has made many updates to its online support tools over the past year. Learn the best practices for utilizing these exciting tooling changes and policy updates. We’ll discuss and demo the best ways to work with IBM’s online tools, obtain fixes, manage licenses, and engage IBM’s support engineers. This session is a “must-see” for all IBM clients – large and small.
Additional bonus: We’ll be demoing dramatic design changes planned for later in 2013! See what's coming and provide feedback directly to IBM's web team leadership!
Patrick O’Connor, Communications Strategist, IBM Electronic Support Adoption
Are you ready to take your reports on the road? Within the CLM solution, IBM now offers an enterprise level reporting solution called Rational Reporting for Development Intelligence (RRDI). RRDI delivers dashboard style reports in a variety of formats. With the RDDI-compatible mobile extension in IBM Cognos, you can deliver highly interactive and self-contained reports to your mobile users. Managers and executives who require high-level and drill-down reports can make business decisions within their organizations on the go. Our goal is to demonstrate the mobile solution using the Cognos 10 Go! Mobile components. We will discuss the deployment, design, implementation, and user experience of IBM Cognos Active Reports. This report delivers powerful capabilities based on data from the CLM applications that your organization can use to make informed business decisions. Take your CLM reports to the next level and join us for a live demonstration on an Apple iPad.
Ben Silverman, SWAT/Escalation Engineer - RequisitePro/Requirements Composer/Rational Insight
Chris Fleischer, Technical Support Engineer - Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM)
Case Study: Lessons Learned Deploying Rational Products at Telllabs
As IBM moves to a common install technology, a number of challenges and opportunities arise in large enterprise environments. In particular, using the IBM Installation Manager technology to manage large scale deployments in environments with limited user control requires careful planning to complete successfully. This session looks at real world examples that use the Installation Manager to deploy a number of IBM Rational products including Rational Software Architect, Rational Functional Tester, and Rational Team Concert. Learn how one customer used the opportunities to overcome some of the challenges they faced. We will also look at broader lessons learned from these examples, and discuss best practices around the use of Installation Manager in large enterprise environments
Mark Guertin, Software Engineer - Rational Team Concert L3 Development
Christopher Quinones, Software Programmer Manager - IBM Package Developer, Common Component Build Eric Dirks, Tellabs
Go on, add the session to your InnovateSmartSite.com agenda and be sure you don't miss out!
I have been asked by a couple of customers using IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC) to see if there is a way to make 'Links' as a required attribute with regards to RTC Work Items. A sample scenario they've noted, where having 'Links' as required attribute being useful, is something like this:
A user creates a Work Item, say a defect, in RTC and the work flow demands that any newly created defect be linked to a requirement artifact. In such case, having 'Links' as required attribute will help the users, so that they do not skip on adding the link to another artifact.
This capability has not yet been implemented and as such it is not yet possible to make the 'Links' attribute as required in RTC. There has, however, been a Request For Enhancement (RFE) raised against this, visible at the jazz.net work item link: https://jazz.net/jazz/resource/itemName/com.ibm.team.workitem.WorkItem/93796
I hope this answers users, who have such a requirement or a query.
Need (or want) even better insights into the RTC tool and development structure? Start at the dashboard here and learn about the development plans, roadmaps, and ongoing work to improve RTC and Jazz!
Not for the first time, I find myself wishing I worked in the Amsterdam offices of Rational Client Support.
They have a neat Customer Service Week tradition for the past couple of years. As they are a multi-national, multi-cultural team, each day this week, they pick 5-6 countries, and the support engineers from those countries supply a potluck lunch, bringing specialties from their home country for the floor.
This year, the lone American on the floor made American pancakes on site ... complete with maple syrup. Reports are that they were "fantastic!".
1.Visit the IBM Support Portal - http://ibm.com/support - Use your smart phone, tablet or computer.
2.Sign in using your IBM ID - Don’t have an IBM ID? Visit My IBM registration to make one - its easy and free!
3.Take a screen capture of the "Support home" page. - Make sure we can see your name. - See below for hints on capturing your screen.
4.Email that image to "socrcs@us.ibm.com" with "IBM Support Portal Game" as the subject.
5.You’re almost done! Now visit the Rational Client Support Café to pick out your prize! (See the map to the left)
Have an IBM Support question or need help with our game? Visit the Rational Client Support Café all week - we can help with signing in to the IBM Support Portal, provide demos of IBM’s online support tools and answer any support-related question you may have!
What is the IBM Support Portal?
The IBM Support Portal is a unified, customizable view of all technical support tools and information for all IBM systems, software, and services.
Why is signing in so important?
Signing in to the IBM Support Portal allows you to better save your product and page settings.
Signing in will allow you to use the IBM Service Request tool. Note: Beginning in June 2012, IBM Software is requesting clients to open and update requests for software technical support using our electronic IBM Service Request (SR) tool. Complete details may be found here: http://ibm.com/support/ece/
Lastly, signing in allows you to easily obtain your product fixes from IBM Fix Central
How do I capture an image of my computer’s screen?
Apple iPhone: Briefly hold down the "Power button" and the "Home button" at the same time. Your screen should flash momentarily, and your screenshot should be saved in a new folder under Photos. Find this latest image and paste into email.
Apple Mac OS X: Use "Command-Shift-3" , then paste into email .
Microsoft Windows: Select your "PrintScreen" key, then paste into email.
Detailed game rules:
You must be an IBM Innovate attendee to receive a prize.
Every IBM Innovate attendee who enters is eligible for a prize.
Prizes must be claimed in the Rational Support Café during Innovate 2012.
Only one prize per attendee.
Game participants are responsible for declaring their winnings to their organization.
Game participants are responsible for any associated taxes.
Government employees may enter the contest but are ineligible to receive a prize.
Watch Steve Speicher describe the planning and tasks involved in integrating software with Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) specifications. Getting started with OSLC is an enhanced version of a video we previously posted (here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4sNvW5ozcE).
Deliver better software with a comprehensive lifecycle management solution:
IBM Rational ClearQuest is application lifecycle management (ALM) software that provides flexible change and defect tracking, customizable processes, real-time reporting and lifecycle traceability for better visibility and control of the software development lifecycle. This solution provides scalable, multiplatform support to any size organization, so you can continue to use your customized processes as your organization’s needs evolve. Rational ClearQuest supports the IBM AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Sun Solaris and Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Rational ClearQuest can improve visibility and control of software development projects:
Enhance software quality with built-in defect and change-tracking capabilities.
Customize and automate workflows for greater efficiency and predictability. Develop best practices with the ALM template.
Simplify compliance management with tools that help you efficiently manage compliance processes and track approvals.
Gain visibility into projects with real-time reports for better decision making.
Leverage enhanced integrations with several other IBM lifecycle products for a complete ALM solution.
Web client licensing:
To make Rational ClearQuest Web available for use, your license administrator must install floating licenses on a Rational License Server.
The Web server (Rational ClearQuest Web Application server or Rational Web Platform) requests a license key from the Rational License Server for each Web client. You do not have to install a license key on your desktop to use the Web client.
Entering floating keys on Windows:
You can import the floating licenses by using the Windows License Key Administrator (LKAD). You must have local administrator privileges on the License server before you can enter the license key, using LKAD.
Using the Rational ClearQuest Web client:
Restricted mode is a special mode of accessing Rational ClearQuest Web that limits the number of features available to designated users and user groups. Users and groups working in restricted mode have access to at most three operations:
Create a record
Find a record by ID
Run a restricted query
You can control access to Rational ClearQuest Web by restricting the activities that users and user groups can perform.
These activities include:
Submitting records
Modifying records
Finding a specified record
Running a single query or accessing the workspace
For example, you can enable users to provide feedback through a password-protected extranet by performing the following steps:
Create a ClearQuest user group for customers who will provide beta test feedback.
Configure the ClearQuest Web software so that members of this group can only submit records and view the results of a single query.
Distribute the ClearQuest Web URL to the user group.
When members of the group access the URL, they can only submit records and view the results of the query that you specify. The records returned by the query are read-only unless you configure restricted mode to permit record modifications.
When you log in to ClearQuest Web in restricted mode, Restricted Mode appears in the navigation banner at the top of the display. Users are logged on in restricted mode whenever they cannot obtain a valid Rational ClearQuest Web license, for example, if all available licenses are in use.
Configuring restricted mode:
You must have the Super User privilege to configure restricted mode.
Procedure
In the Rational ClearQuest Web banner, click Site Administration -> Configuration.
On the Security Options tab, fill in the restricted mode configuration fields as described in Table
Settings on the Security Options tab take effect immediately; there is no need to restart the server. However, only subsequent Rational ClearQuest Web application sessions reflect these changes. Existing Web application sessions continue to use the settings that were in effect when the sessions started.
Ports used by the Rational ClearQuest Web application:
The Rational ClearQuest Web application uses these port definitions in the jtl.properties file:
JTLRMICALLBACKPORTS=1140,1142
JTLRMICALLBACKFILESERVERPORTS=1141,1143
The jtl.properties file is located in these directory locations:
On Windows: C:\Program Files\Rational\Common\rwp\EmbeddedExpress\profiles\profile1\installedApps\DefaultNode\RationalClearQuestWeb.ear\CQWebModule.war\WEB-INF\classes\jtl.properties
On UNIX: /opt/rational/common/rwp/EmbeddedExpress/profiles/profile1/installedApps/DefaultNode/RationalClearQuestWeb.ear/CQWebModule.war/WEB-INF/classes/jtl.properties
Note: These directory locations assume that you have deployed the Rational ClearQuest application using Rational Web Platform (RWP) installed in the default installation location. If you have installed to a different location from the default, adjust the directory path accordingly. If you are hosting the application using a different Web application server, see that product's documentation for details about configuring ports.
Ports used by the Rational ClearQuest Web registry server:
The registry server component of the Rational ClearQuest server listens on port 1130 and 1131 for requests from the request manager and the Web application. (These ports cannot be changed.)
The registry server also listens on port 1150. You can re-configure that port definition by modifying this parameter in the csm.properties file:
CSM_MONITOR_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_PORT=1150
The csm.properties file is found in this location:
On Windows: C:\Program Files\Rational\ClearQuest\cqserver\csm.properties
On UNIX: /opt/rational/clearquest/cqserver/csm.properties
Note: These directory locations assume that you have installed Rational ClearQuest to the default installation location. If you have installed to a different location, adjust the directory path accordingly.
Ports used by the Rational ClearQuest request manager:
The request manager component of the Rational ClearQuest server uses these port definitions in the jtl.properties file:
JTLRMISERVICEPORT: 1132, 1133
JTLRMISERVERFILESERVERPORTS: 1134, 1135
The jtl.properties file is found in this location:
On Windows: C:\Program Files\Rational\ClearQuest\cqserver\config\jtl.properties
On UNIX: /opt/rational/clearquest/cqserver/config/jtl.properties
There are two additional ports that are specified in the csm.properties file:
CSM_ADAPTER_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_PORT=1151,1152
The csm.properties file is found in this location:
On Windows: C:\Program Files\Rational\ClearQuest\cqserver\csm.properties
On UNIX: /opt/rational/clearquest/cqserver/csm.properties
Note: These directory locations assume that you have installed Rational ClearQuest to the default installation location. If you have installed to a different location, adjust the directory path accordingly.
Rational Common licensing (RCL) v 8.1.3 has been released on July the 2nd 2012 The highlights of this release are
Enhanced serviceability,
Support for early return of borrowed licenses and
IM based Rational License Key Server (RLKS) installation on UNIX platforms.
It is compatible with earlier versions of the client products that use RCL from earlier releases. The daemon versions for this release are:
lmgrd 11.10
ibmratl 11.10
The advantages of moving to Rational License Key Server (RLKS 8.1.3) (11.10) server is Security and Performance; these are the two most important aspects that has been emphasized on this release. Users will benefit with a more detailed logging mechanism which will cater to the aspects of understanding any warning(s) or errors on the server side also help them keep a check on the performance of the license server.
Enhanced serviceability
In terms of serviceability enhancement, RCL 8.1.3 provides a well-structured logging mechanism to RCL Clients and captures the important activities going behind the scenes which are easily accessible to the end user. It gives you the output in XML format which can viewed in web browsers. This is all very exciting since it makes the lives of support folks and developers a lot easier. The RCL logging configuration file, RCL_Log_Config.txt is stored in a default location and contains the different parameters for logging like location, product, version, size, loglevel, maxfiles etc. The RCL log for the Rational Product(s) captures time Stamp and the event associated, provides a message status which is in text format and a Message ID along with the severity of the logged event with a status on the user action. This detailed level of information in the logs would certainly help end users to understand any warning or errors and help them resolve more confidently without having to call support.
This logging capability will be seen only in products which have integrated RCL 8.1.3 and enabled logging. Serviceability per say is only restricted to clients. There is no serviceability supported added to other components – like License Key Administrator (LKAD), Borrow Tool, RLKS Server.
Support for Early Return of Borrowed licenses
Another important feature with this release is that you return a product license before the expiration date for Borrow enabled products. The Borrow Tool is not new in RCL 8.1.3, it was introduced in RCL 8.1.2 however limited to 'Borrow Products' support only. With the advent of RLKS 8.1.3 ‘Borrow Tool’ we would now have an option of Early Return of Borrowed products that helps in
Enables effective usage of product licenses.
Supported for ‘Borrow enabled' floating licenses
Works on License servers 8.1.2 onwards.
RCL 8.1.3 Borrow Tool has the “Return Product” button enabled and available on selecting one borrowed product from Borrowed Products table. On Clicking on “Return Products” button by selecting one or more borrowed products, It will go ahead with the Return Early operation.
Installation Manager based installation of RLKS 8.1.3 on UNIX
From RCL 8.1.3, RLKS installation on Unix platforms will be done through IBM Installation Manager (IM), there will not be any more shell script based installation of RLKS. You need IM version of 1.5.2 for RLKS installation. Here only one instance of RLKS 8.1.3 installation can be done on a Unix machine there is an Option to start the license server at the end of the installation. There is also an Xterm window during start/stop server to indicate the status to the user. The Intention of all of this is to give the users better hands on view and help them administer control through a UI rather than through the console.
One highlight around the Installation Manager based RLKS installation is that the license file import screen will need the user to input the license file path and port number. This installation screen is unique to Unix license server installations.
In order to upgrade to RLKS 8.1.3, you need to backup the license file used by older version of RLKS installation. Uninstall/remove the older version of RLKS installation and start the installation of RLKS 8.1.3. Configure the backed up license file in the configuration page of RLKS 8.1.3 installation.
To conclude, RLKS 8.1.3 has some really nice features added which will greatly benefit clients in understanding the issues through improved logging, a good UI experience to users deploying RLKS on UNIX platforms and added flexibility of returning borrowed licenses earlier. For more details you could also refer to the release notes of 8.1.3 which can be viewed post installation or by choosing the "more Info" link while using the IBM Installation Manager to Install this release.
Building jQuery Mobile Web Applications in Rational Application Developer- This video shows step by step how to build a complete jQuery mobile application using the Rich Page Editor. You will see examples of how to graphically build, navigate through and link multiple application screens. The video includes JavaScript source editing samples that show how information can be exchanged between the mobile application and a back-end service. You will also learn about a feature called "Smart Highlight" which graphically displays jQuery selections. Rich Page Editor with jQuery Mobile support is included in Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software 8.5.1 and in IBM Worklight 5.0.5.
Ralph Schoon has posted a great reference, tutorial, and code on his personal blog which provides for A Rational Team Concert WorkItem Command Line! He provides code for a simple Work Item Command Line Client and explains the usage in a detailed but easily understood manner. Of course, noting that the post contains published code derived from examples from Jazz.net as well as the RTC SDK, we need to state that the usage of code from that example source code is governed by this license andas stated in the disclaimer, this code comes with the usual lack of promise or guarantee.
Since we have seen many requests to be able to create and update work items from a command line in the forum, as well as enhancement requests and a story for it in the RTC development repository, we wanted to highlight Ralph's work as a great starting point for creating these solutions. This WorkItemCommandLine should provide access for most of your automation needs when creating work items, as well as standing as a resource for the RTC work Item API.
So, go ahead and check out Ralph's blog post; we think you may find it stands as a hugely valuable resource as you move forward with your own RTC work!
This demonstration provides an overview of Rational Rhapsody Design
Manager's capabilities to help teams collaborate, share, review and
manage their Rational Rhapsody system engineering or embedded software
design information within the overall product lifecycle. It shows how
design information can be centrally located and accessed using a web
client by the extended team or by a Rational Rhapsody client for system
engineers and developers using Rational Rhapsody. A central location
enables searching across design and lifecycle information to help locate
information faster and assists in keeping the entire team informed of
the current status of the design. The demonstration includes an
overview on how with Rational Rhapsody Design Manager you can conduct
design reviews that allow stakeholders to provide comments and visual
mark-ups linked to the designs. Also demonstrated is how you can trace
from designs to other lifecycle artifacts using Open Services for
Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) based linking and visualize relationships
between designs and lifecycle artifacts through a dependency
relationship diagram.
Starting Sept 1, 2009, the preferred method for IBM Rational Software clients
interested in entering new Requests for Enhancements (RFEs) for a majority of
Rational Software products will be through the Rational® Software RFE Community.
What is the Rational RFE Community?
The Rational® RFE
Community is a place where you can collaborate with Rational development
teams and other product users through your ability to search, view, comment on,
submit, and track product requests for enhancement (RFEs).
The community
acts as a front-end database bridged to the back-end Rational ClearQuest®
database called RATLC. New submissions, user comments, status changes,
and developer comments are bridged between the Rational RFE Community and RATLC
several times a day. The bridge to RATLC allows our development teams to work
with the process and tools they are most comfortable with, while allowing our
users to collaborate in an open community environment.
With this change, we can:
Eliminate multiple touch-points that slow down communication in the RFE process.
Increase transparency in the development process for you
Provide predictable response times for feature requests
Empower you to influence Rational product direction and roadmaps as well as break down barriers between end-users and development
Provide a better tool for you to Review other RFE ideas on the same product and vote for your favorite
Some popular features of the Rational RFE Community:
In that post, I explored the personal experience and positive results of team hiring practices that focused on finding the right person for the right job. The net conclusion of that post being: "Hire to your needs, but also to the candidate’s strengths and abilities. It isn’t easy, but the rewards and your future success depend upon it."
But, I'd like to take that conclusion a step further now, since "future success" is a bit too nebulous for my taste.
From the social business perspective, hiring the ducks and eagles is a critical portion of our success, as people in the right job tend to be more motivated and passionate about what they do. It is this increased level of passion that is such an important building block of success in social business. Without passion, social business just becomes activities that fall flat, and your audiences will pick up on that immediately.
Social businesses with passionate employees, however, are thriving and forging new paths in the world around us. It is that passion which drive employees, either on their own or with slight urging, to get out in the social spaces and share their knowledge and excitement with others. While the passion IS infectious, it also needs to be cultivated.
That passion is either fostered or stifled long before the employee ever has opportunity to play in the social spaces. It begins during the hiring process: identifying and hiring to both your needs and the candidate's abilities right from the get-go builds that foundation to grow your company into the motivated and passionate social business you need. Hire a duck for an eagle's job (or vice versa) and you will stifle that passion. Likewise, put the duck in the right pond and enable the eagle to soar, and that same stifled passion now becomes a raging fire driving both to spread the excitement.
Your audiences can tell the difference between mere activity and authentic excitement, and they will treat your social business accordingly... Can you really afford to not hire the ducks and eagles?
100
Today we bring the spotlight to Ben Rubinger. Ben is one of our 'behind the scene' guys in Rational Client Support as a tools developer. Having been a support engineer himself, he has special insight into changes and features to internal tools which are needed on the front lines of support, and is busy making life for the TSEs easier one feature set at a time. But life isn't all coding for Ben, he's also active outside of work as you'll find below.
on Windows and colons (
on UNIX. The list can consist of the following components:
) 
nfluence: (ˈɪnflʊəns) — n. An effect of one person or thing on another resulting from ability, wealth, position, etc. 
