Snapshot installation

When you install a snapshot to a workflow server, the library items for that snapshot (including toolkit snapshots) are copied from the repository to the selected workflow server if they do not exist on the workflow server. The workflow server can be connected or offline. Depending on your needs and whether the workflow server is connected or offline, you can use authoring environment or IBM® Business Automation Workflow Operations REST Interface to install the snapshot.
Important:
  • Make sure the version of the Workflow Center server is equal to or earlier than the version of the connected or offline workflow server before you install to the workflow server.
  • To import a snapshot that was created in IBM BPM V8.5.5 or V8.5.6, which contains Basic Case Management features, into a new installation of Business Automation Workflow 26.0.0.0 that no longer has Basic Case Management features, you must first import the .twx file that contains Basic Case Management content into a 26.0.0.0 Workflow Center to update the case types to the 26.0.0.0 model and remove the document types.

    If your installation of IBM BPM V8.5.5 or V8.5.6 had Basic Case Management features and was upgraded to 26.0.0.0, your deployment environment still has Basic Case Management features and you can import snapshots that contain Basic Case Management features.

  • Before installing the case project snapshot into another workflow environment, follow the steps in Importing projects to ensure that the data maps, and the Design and the target object stores mapping are correct.
  • To ensure consistency and update all group and team assignments after deploying each case solution snapshot (having BPM activities), it is essential to apply the security manifest.

Connected workflow servers

You can install snapshots to connected workflow servers in your environment by using either or IBM Business Automation Workflow Operations REST Interface (or REST API). Ordinarily, you have connections to one or more servers in your environment, as shown in the following figure.

Workflow Center connects to multiple workflow servers in your development environment.

Offline workflow servers

You can also install snapshots to an offline server that is running but is not connected to authoring environment (for example, if the workflow server is behind a firewall). In this situation, use the IBM Business Automation Workflow Operations REST Interface to create an installation package for a particular snapshot on the authoring environment, transfer the package to the offline workflow server, and then use the IBM Business Automation Workflow Operations REST Interface to install the package. Always install snapshots to an offline workflow server from the same authoring environment.

Custom and generic installation packages

When you install snapshots, you can use generic installation packages or custom installation packages. Custom installation packages include migration information for a specific server while generic installation packages omit this information. Instead, you provide the migration instructions separately during the snapshot installation if there is a need to migrate running process instances from existing snapshots to the snapshot you are installing. With generic installation packages, you can use the exact same installation package to install a snapshot onto multiple workflow servers, even if the workflow servers are not the same. Additionally, if you are scripting the installation, you can use the same script on the authoring environment to create and extract the installation package. On each authoring environment, you can customize the script that installs the snapshot for that particular server. The following set of diagrams shows the difference between using a generic installation package and by using multiple custom installation packages to install a snapshot.
Generic installation packages Custom installation packages
One generic installation package is extracted from Workflow Center and combined with migration instructions for installation on more workflow servers
Multiple custom installation packages are extracted from Workflow Center and installed on their specific workflow servers.

With custom installation packages, you can continue to use scripts and installation services that are created for IBM BPM version 8.5.5.0 or earlier.

Requirements for Case solution projects snapshots installation

To install the Case solution project snapshots from an authoring environment to a Workflow Server, the snapshot needs to be installed or exported from an authoring environment version that matches the Workflow Server. Installing a snapshot from a different version of an authoring environment to a Workflow Server is not supported.

You can migrate the solutions from an authoring environment to another authoring environment by using the snapshot .twx files that allow for migrating a case project solution from a lower or older version of Business Automation Workflow to a higher or newer version of Business Automation Workflow. See Importing projects.