Setting up and configuring VCS integration

To integrate IBM® Case Manager with a version control system (VCS), you must first designate a directory to act as a sandbox. You then create scripts to check in and deliver solution files to the VCS, and use the IBM Case Manager configuration tool to enable and configure the VCS integration.

To set up and configure VCS integration:

1. Create a directory on a network shared directory to serve as a sandbox for the VCS integration. This sandbox provides a staging area for the solution files that are to be stored in the VCS.
   • In a cluster environment, the network shared directory must be available to all nodes. You can make the directory available to all nodes by mapping the file system on one server so that the file system is available to other nodes in the cluster. Alternatively, you can use a file storage device to make the network shared directory available to all nodes.
   • In a standalone environment, the network shared directory can be the local file system.
2. Create the scripts that Case Manager Builder runs to commit and deliver to the VCS the changes that are made to a solution in Case Manager Builder. For more information about creating the scripts, see Commit and deliver scripts.
3. Optional: Create custom scripts to automate the deployment of solutions to other environments, such as staging or production environments. You can create a single script to do the following tasks:
   1. Extract solution assets that are associated with a specific label from the VCS.
   2. Call the IBM Case Manager configuration tool to import the solution assets to the target environment.
   3. Call the IBM Case Manager configuration tool to deploy the solution to the target environment.
   Tip: Instead of using a custom script to extract the solution assets, you can use the user interface for your VCS to download the solution assets.
4. If the VCS requires additional credentials, configure a keystore or other solution for handling sensitive parameters, such as the credentials for the VCS user.

   Case Manager Builder does not pass sensitive parameters, such as passwords, to the VCS scripts. Therefore, the scripts must look up the credentials based on the FileNet P8 user that does a commit or deliver, or on nonsensitive parameters that are collected from the user.

5. In the IBM Case Manager configuration tool, edit and run the Create Case Manager Applications task to enable and configure VCS integration.
   1. Select the Enable VCS integration check box.
   2. Specify the path to the directory that you designated to serve as a sandbox for the VCS integration.
   3. Optional: To prompt users for custom parameters that Case Manager Builder passes to your commit or deliver script, enter a label for each parameter. Enter the values in a comma-separated list, as shown in the following example:

      VCS ID,Project Name,Approving Manager

      Tip: You do not need to specify custom parameters for comments or labels. Case Manager Builder automatically prompts the user for comments for a commit or a delivery. For a delivery, Case Manager Builder also prompts the user for a label.
   4. Optional: Specify a heartbeat interval that indicates the time in seconds that must elapse between periodic updates from your commit and deliver scripts before a commit or deliver operation fails.

      The heartbeat interval measures the activity of your commit script or deliver scripts. You specify this interval to detect problems in script execution before the script times out. For example, the heartbeat can alert you to problems such as the script hanging or Case Manager Builder terminating unexpectedly. The heartbeat is determined by the time that the output.txt file was last modified. Therefore, your scripts must periodically check the status of its own threads and update output.txt.

      If you do not want to check for a heartbeat, leave this field blank.

   5. Specify the maximum time in seconds that must elapse before the commit and deliver scripts time out.
   6. Run the Create Case Manager Applications task.
6. In the configuration tool, run the Deploy Case Manager Builder task.