What’s new and changed in IBM Spectrum LSF Process Manager Version 10.2
The following topics summarize the new and changed behavior in IBM Spectrum LSF Process Manager ("LSF Process Manager") 10.2.
New GUI look and feel
LSF Process Manager now has an updated GUI that is based on IBM Spectrum LSF Application Center. The updated GUI has a simplified menu and navigation, and includes new work item icons for the Flow Editor.
Adobe Flash not required
LSF Process Manager uses HTML5 for flow charts and no longer requires Adobe Flash to run on a web browser. This allows LSF Process Manager to run on devices that do not have Adobe Flash installed, such as Apple devices.
Changes to the Flow Editor
The following changes are specific to the Flow Editor:
Directly create and debug a flow step by step
You can now use the Flow Editor to create and debug draft flows step by step. This allows you to develop a flow iteratively.
You can monitor and control flows from the Flow Editor. This allows you to edit flow definitions and run test flows from the same place. After you submit a test flow, you can see the status of each work item in the flow definition by clicking Refresh.
You can continue to edit the flow definition while the test flow is running. You can view this information (including runtime attributes, history, data, and details) from the Flow Editor by right-clicking on the work item in question. You can also use different control operations on the test flow from the Flow Editor, such as kill, hold, or release. This includes the ability to kill subflows, flow arrays, and submission forms (in addition to individual jobs) and the ability to hold or release job-based submission forms in a flow.
You can also synchronize these flow definition changes with the LSF Process Manager server directly from the Flow Editor by clicking Refresh. This synchronizes the flow definition and test flow instance, including the work item from where you will rerun a test flow, and work items that are put on hold.
- If the test flow is already running the work item when you click Refresh, the test flow continues to run the original unmodified version of the work item (that is, with the old commands and parameters).
- If the test flow is not running the work item when you click Refresh, the test flow uses the new version of the work item during the next time that it runs the work item.
- If you deleted the work item from the flow definition, the system kills the corresponding work item in the test flow if it is currently running. If you deleted subflows or flow arrays, the system recursively deletes all running work items in the subflows or flow arrays.
View and edit job scripts
If you have a job script in the flow (for LSF jobs, local jobs, and script jobs), you can directly edit the script from the Flow Editor. The script file must be accessible from the LSF Process Manager, and you must have permissions to modify the script file.
Cursor defaults to selection mode
In the Flow Editor, the cursor now switches to the selection mode by default after you insert any work item. This makes it easy for you to select the work item you just added so that you can move or edit the new work item.
Improvements to rerunning a flow
You can now use the Flow Editor to set the following work items as the starting point when rerunning a test job in the flow:
- Start from work items in running, pending, killed, or waiting states (in addition to done or exit states).
- Start from job-based submission forms.
- When starting from a job array, start from failed elements or user-specified elements (in addition to starting the whole array).
- When starting from a flow array, start from current, failed, or user-specified elements (in addition to starting all elements).
LSF Process Manager server now works if the /tmp directory is mounted as NOEXEC
Due to security concerns, some environments do not allow execute permission on /tmp directories. The LSF Process Manager server now works correctly even if the /tmp directory is mounted with the NOEXEC flag to restrict the execution of binary files. The LSF Process Manager server accomplishes this by using the JS_HOME/work/tmp directory as the temporary directory to run temporary scripts intead of /tmp.
Reevaluate file size as a triggering event when the file is modified
LSF Process Manager now reevaluates the conditions for the file size triggering event for flows that are scheduled with multiple triggers (such as a combination of file size, time, and the last modified date) whenever the corresponding file is modified. To enable this new behavior, specify JS_FILE_SIZE_EVENT_UPDATE=true in the js.conf file.
By default, LSF Process Manager reevaluates the file size condition when a user deletes, then recreates the file.