bmc remedy action request system · 2018-04-18 · enterprise features bmc remedy action request...

What’s New

BMC Remedy Action Request SystemVersion 7.1.00July 26, 2007

This document summarizes the main features added to the 7.1.00 version of BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System).

The following topics are provided:

! Enterprise features

! Customer-driven license enforcement system (page 3)

! Server security attack prevention (page 3)

! Mid-tier security attack prevention for Tomcat installations (page 4)

! Forcing and allowing password changes (page 5)

! Web client IP address logging (page 5)

! Safari browser support (page 6)

! BMC Remedy Mid Tier performance (persistent cache) (page 6)

! Prefetching specified forms (page 7)

! Web services enhancements (page 8)

! Multiple escalation pools (page 6)

! HTTP tracing in the mid tier (page 9)

! Broadened operating system support for Full Text Search on UNIX and Linux (page 9)

! Server features

! Java plug-in server and plug-in API (page 9)

! Updated AR System Java API (page 10)

! Filter error handling (page 10)

! Multiple Field API Calls (page 10)

! Store database views with schema definitions (page 11)

! Service workflow condition and active link action (page 11)

! Disable status history recording and retrieval (page 11)

! Simplified System Form Handling (page 14)

! IBM DB2 9.1 support (page 15)

! HP-UX 11i v3 support (page 15)

! Novell SuSE Enterprise Linux support (page 15)

! Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 AS/ES support (page 15)

! Enhanced support for Mozilla Firefox 2.0 support (page 16)

! Enhanced support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 support (page 16)

! Client features

! BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console (page 16)

! Data visualization field updates (page 18)

! Results color in tree fields (page 21)

! Page holder enhancements (page 21)

! Ability to change labels for navigation bars (page 22)

! Locale-aware table fields (page 22)

! Customizable background color on rows (page 22)

! Table refresh on interval (page 22)

! Automatic maximizing of windows on target location for web clients (page 23)

! Usability features

! Displaying version information (page 23)

! Pop-up blockers (page 23)

! Wait cursor (page 24)

! Context (right-click) menus (page 24)

! Rounded corner option for trim boxes (page 24)

! BMC Remedy Migrator features

! Enhancements to Differences report (page 25)

! Enhancements to Results report (page 25)

! Ignore Prefix option (page 26)

! Packaged view migrations (ability to migrate a specific view and its fields) (page 26)

! Option to keep or delete dependency and database files (page 26)

! Minor miscellaneous changes (page 27)

2 What’s New July 26, 2007

Enterprise features

Enterprise features

Customer-driven license enforcement systemUnlike previous versions, AR System 7.1.00 does not use license keys to enforce limits for any license types except AR Server licenses. Instead, customers must self-enforce limits for all other AR System and application license types, such as AR User Fixed, BMC Remedy AR FTS Fixed, BMC:Asset Mgmt Application, and BMC:Change Mgmt User Floating. Regardless of the type or number of licenses purchased by a customer, AR System 7.1.00 administrators can add an unlimited number of most licenses to their systems through the Add or Remove Licenses link in the AR System Administration Console.

Using this link, administrators can also modify and remove licenses whenever necessary. This enables them to meet users’ AR System licensing needs immediately without waiting for BMC Software to provide a key.

NOTE In AR System 7.1.00, license information is not stored in a license (.lic) file. Instead, it is stored in the AR System database. Customers who upgrade to AR System 7.1.00, however, can import data from their existing .lic files into their 7.1.00 systems so that they do not have to reenter the data manually.

IMPORTANT If you upgrade to AR System 7.1.00 from a pre-6.0 release, you need to get a new AR System server license key from BMC.

For more information, see the Configuring guide.

multilicense.lic fileIn AR System 7.1.00, the multilicense.lic file is obsolete.

Server security attack preventionThe Security Attacks and AR System white paper explains the types of attacks that are prevented with AR System 7.1.00.

BMC Remedy Action Request System Version 7.1.00 3

Enterprise features

Mid-tier security attack prevention for Tomcat installationsIf you install the default Tomcat JSP and servlet engine with BMC Remedy Mid Tier, the installation script performs the following clean-up tasks:

! Removes the contents of the ROOT directory from the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/webapps directory.

! Adds an index.html file to the ROOT directory. This file appears if the administrator goes to http://localhost:8080 in a browser and Tomcat is running properly. (See the steps that follow for more information.)

! Removes the tomcat-docs directory from the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/webapps directory.

! Removes the two default web applications (host-manager and manager) from the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/server/webapps directory.

! Removes the two deployment descriptors for the host-manager and manager applications. These descriptors are the host-manager.xml and manager.xml files in the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/conf/Catalina/localhost folder.

! Removes all unused ports from service (in particular, port 8080)—that is, it strips the default server.xml configuration file under the Tomcat installation directory so that the installation supports the mid tier only.

These tasks make the Tomcat installation more secure, but because they remove all extraneous services, it can be difficult to determine if the mid tier or if Tomcat failed to install properly. To ease this problem, an index.html page that displays whether Tomcat is running is also installed.

If the mid tier fails to run after you install it, complete the following steps to determine whether the problem is the Tomcat installation or the mid tier installation:

1 Stop Tomcat.

2 Open the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/conf/server.xml file, and uncomment the Connector entry at port 8080.

3 Restart Tomcat.

4 In a browser on the same computer as the Tomcat installation, go to http://localhost:8080.

If Tomcat is running properly, the following message will appear in the browser:

Tomcat is running.

This message indicates that the problem is isolated to the mid tier installation.

If Tomcat is not running, the browser displays an error message such as “The page cannot be displayed.” Review the Tomcat log files in the <Tomcat_installation_directory>/logs directory to determine the cause. The mid tier cannot run if Tomcat is not running properly.


Enterprise features

Forcing and allowing password changesYou can enforce a password policy with the User Password Management Configuration form. This feature is pre-configured when you install AR System, but it is not enabled.

With a password policy, you can:

! Enforce restrictions on passwords (By default, HIPAA standards are shipped as the default restrictions.)

! Set up password expiration with scheduled warnings

! Force users to change their passwords

! Disable an account after a specified expiration period

This feature requires you to use BMC Remedy User 7.1. (Previous versions of the BMC Remedy User will not display the new Change Password window.)

For more information, see the Configuring guide.

User form changesPrior to version 7.1 of AR System, only the Administrator group had access to the form. In version 7.1 and later, the following changes were made to enable the password policy feature:

! The Public group has Hidden permission to the User form.

! The Dynamic Group Access field on the User form gives users read permission to their login name and read permission to the Password field. These permissions are automatically given to all new users that the administrator creates.

If you are upgrading to 7.1 or later from a previous version, be aware of these permission changes. If you have customized the User form, these changes may affect your customizations.

Web client IP address loggingIf you turn on logging from the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Configuration Tool, you can select the level of detail you want to receive: Fine, Info (new to version 7.1.00), Warning, or Severe.

If you create log files with a Fine or Info level, the log file will contain the client IP address.

For more information, see the Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tier guide.


Enterprise features

Multiple escalation poolsAR System server now can have multiple escalation pools so that administrators can better control the execution of escalations and the server can execute two or more escalations in parallel.

The administrator configures the escalation pools as threads in the escalation queue using the Ports and Queues tab of the AR System Administration: Server Information form. See the Configuring guide for details.

For each escalation, the administrator can specify the number of the escalation pool on the Basic tab of the Escalation property window and see it in a column in the list of escalations. If the pool number is not specified or if it is higher than the number of escalation queue threads configured, the escalation is assigned to pool 1. The administrator must schedule escalations that can conflict with one another to avoid possible conflicts if they are in different pools or assign them in the same pool so they will never be run in parallel. See the Workflow Objects guide for details.

An API program can set the escalation pool (or thread) number for an escalation by adding the AR_OPROP_POOL_NUMBER object property to the objPropList in an ARCreateEscalation or ARSetEsclation call. It can get the pool number from this property using the ARGetEscalation call. If there is no AR_OPROP_POOL_NUMBER object property in the objPropList for an escalation or if the value of AR_OPROP_POOL_NUMBER is null or higher than the number of escalation queue threads configured, the escalation is assigned to pool 1. See the C API Reference guide for details.

Safari browser supportThe mid tier now supports the Safari browser on the Macintosh platform. This requires Mac OS X 10.5 and Safari 3.0.

BMC Remedy Mid Tier performance (persistent cache)In AR System 7.1, forms currently cached in memory can now be serialized to a file, which enables these forms to be read back into memory when the application server hosting the mid tier application is restarted (after a normal shutdown). Persistent cache does not work after an application server crash.

BackgroundWhen a user opens an AR System on a server for the first time, the mid tier must download the form and its workflow objects. It must then construct a Java object from these items. This object is used to generate the Dynamic HTML needed to display the form in a browser. The initial construction of this Java object is time-consuming, but once it is built, the mid tier caches it in memory and accesses it for all users who open the same form from that point on.


Enterprise features

Serializing Java objects to a fileIn AR System 7.1.00, the mid tier can serialize the constructed Java objects that represent AR System forms present in memory and write them to a file. When the mid tier is started up again, it detects the file, reads it, and reconstructs the Java objects serialized in it. This prevents the system from having to repeat the time-consuming construction process.

Administrators can activate serialization from the cache page of the Configuration Tool.


Prefetching specified formsAdministrators can select forms to be preloaded into the system’s memory (prefetched) so that forms can be loaded faster when they are opened in a browser. This capability is especially useful for larger forms that otherwise might take several seconds to load.

Forms can be selected for prefetching either

! from the BMC Remedy Configuration Tool, or

! by editing the prefetchConfig.xml file, available in the web-inf/classes directory.

Using the BMC Remedy Configuration ToolThe Configuration Tool provides a convenient method for specifying forms to be prefetched. The Cache Settings page includes a text box that shows the content of the prefetchConfig.xml file. By default, this content is commented out. By removing the comment tags, the administrator can edit the content, using the appropriate XML tags to enter the users, servers, locales, and forms to which prefetching should apply. Multiple users or forms can be specified.

Each form is prefetched according to the specified user’s permissions for that form and its fields. For example, if the administrator selects a form that has 75 fields, and specifies a user who has permission to view only 20 fields on that form, the prefetch process can fetch and cache the form with only the 20 fields for which the use has access.

Editing the PrefetchConfig.xml fileThe administrator can also edit the prefetchConfig.xml file directly. This file is available in the web-inf/classes subdirectory.

By default, the file has all content commented out. By removing the comment tags, the administrator can edit the file’s content, or view the file in XML format from an Internet Explorer browser, as shown. You can edit the file using any text editor.


Enterprise features

Any changes made to the file will also appear in the Prefetch text box the next time the Configuration Tool is opened.

! If you flush the cache in the Configuration Tool, any prefetched forms you specified beforehand are flushed from the memory cache. The prefetch process is performed again for these forms the next time the web server is restarted.

! If you specified an invalid form name (for example, if a form name is misspelled or a form does not exist on the specified server), that form will not be prefetched. The mid tier log notes the names of forms that were not prefetched.


Recommended forms for prefetchingYou might want to include your application’s most frequently accessed forms for prefetching so that they can be accessed quickly. For example, the following forms are recommended for prefetching in the Service Level Management application:

Web services enhancementsThe following services are defined in the SystemWebService.def file:

! User service

! Group service

! Role service

With each of these web services, administrator can:

! Find a definition.

! Create a definition.

! Update a definition.

! Find of a list of definitions.

The SystemWebService.def file (located in <ar_install_dir>/installforms/en on UNIX and <ar_install_dir>\ARServer\InstallForms\en on Windows) is installed on the AR System server during a new or upgrade installation. The three web service objects are available by default, and administrators can change the objects as needed. For details about updating a web service's definition, see the Integrating with Plug-ins and Third-Party Products guide.

Form Description

SLM:Console Main SLM console

SLM:DashboardSLMgr Dashboards

SLM:ServiceTarget Service Target definition

SLM:SLADefinition Agreement definition


Server features

HTTP tracing in the mid tierHTTP TRACE is a request method that returns HTTP header information, which you can use to debug code. By default, the HTTP TRACE function is disabled on the mid tier. To enable the function, add the following line to the config.properties file:

arsystem.enableHttpTrace=true

WARNING The mid tier has no control over the host application server. If the host server is not configured to have HTTP TRACE disabled, then the information that the host discloses still exists.

Broadened operating system support for Full Text Search on UNIX and Linux

AR System 7.1.00 extends support for full text search to more recent releases of these operating systems:

! UNIX®

! Linux®

For more information, see the compatibility matrix on the BMC Remedy Customer Support website (http://www.bmc.com/support_home).

Server features

Java plug-in server and plug-in APIThis release includes a new, Java-based implementation of the AR System Plug-in Server. The AR System 7.1.00 Plug-in Server has new configuration requirements. It supports all the functionality of the earlier C-based Plug-in Server plus the following:

! Supports Java-based plug-ins using a new Java plug-in API.

! Supports more than one Java-aware plug-in.

! Supports more than one instance of the same plug-in.

! Uses the Java Native Interface (JNI) to supports C-based plug-ins using the same C plug-in API as earlier versions of AR System.

The release also includes example Java plug-ins.


http://www.bmc.com/support_home

Server features

Updated AR System Java APIThis release includes a revised Java API for AR System. Both the implementation and interface are changed from the AR System 7.0 Java API.

The new interface provides all the functionality of the C API and the Java API of AR System 7.0, but the new design is more consistent with other Java APIs. It reduces the low-level programming required to implement a Java client by using classes more effectively to represent AR System and client objects.

The new implementation is pure Java using a Java RPC implementation to communicate with the AR System server.

See the C API Reference guide and the AR System Java API online documentation for details.

Filter error handlingBy default, when an error occurs while a filter is executing, the AR System server sends an error to the client and the filter terminates. BMC Remedy User and the web client display a message. Now, workflow can include error handling filters that the server executes when an error occurs. Using error handlers, workflow can recover from an error or change the handling of Message Actions of type Error produced by third-party AR System applications when called from custom applications.

The administrator can specify and enable an error handler filter on the Basic tab of the filter properties window. If no error handler is specified, if the error handler is not enabled on the Basic tab for the filter whose errors it handles, or if the error handler filter is not enabled on its own Basic tab, AR System handles errors as it did in previous releases. See the Workflow Objects guide for details.

Multiple Field API CallsTwo new API calls create and modify (set) multiple fields in a single call. The ARCreateMultipleFields call creates fields based on list input arguments that specify the attributes of each field in the same way as the input arguments of ARCreateField specifies the attributes of a single field. The ARSetMultipleFields API call similarly corresponds to the ARSetField call.

In each case, the multiple-field call produces the same result as a sequence of calls to create or modify the individual fields. The multiple-field calls can be more efficient because they only require one call from the client to the AR System server and because the server can perform multiple database operations in a single transaction and avoid repeating operations such as those performed at the end of each individual call.

Type declarations are also added to ar.h for the lists required in the multiple-field arguments.

See the C API Reference guide for details.


Server features

Store database views with schema definitionsStoring database views with schema definitions prevents the deletion of the wrong view when schemas (forms) are removed and renamed; prevents the accumulation of abandoned views.

Service workflow condition and active link actionUsing this feature an application can execute workflow without getting, updating, or deleting a request. This feature can work with an AR System web service to obtain external services or with a Set Fields filter action to consume an internal AR System service.

Service workflow conditionA new Service filter condition executes a filter when an active link runs the Service action. The filter accesses a request with the field values passed by the active link action and those retrieved from the database, if any, and returns output values to the calling request. No other database operation is run.

If the filter runs a Push Fields action, the output field value list is not affected. If the filter runs a Set Fields action, the output field value list uses any modified values.

Service active link actionThe new Service active link action executes an internal AR System service or an external web service. The action includes input and output field mappings that pass values between the calling form and the filter.

For more information on the workflow condition and the active link action, see the Workflow Objects guide.

The ARServiceEntry C API function implements the Service active link action. For more information, see the C API Reference guide.

Disable status history recording and retrievalThis feature provides a property for regular forms that disables the server maintenance of status history. When the property is set to disable status history maintenance, the server clears the history, does not update it when the status changes, and returns AR_DATA_TYPE_NULL when the status history is requested. BMC Remedy User or a form viewed in a browser using BMC Remedy Mid Tier display an empty status history when it is disabled.

When the property is set to enable status history maintenance (the default and compatible with AR System 7.0), the server will record the status history when it changes and return the status history when it is requested.


Server features

The user can set and clear a check box, labeled “Disable status history,” on the Basic / Entry Points tab of the Form Properties window to control this property. See the Form and Application Objects guide for details.

An API program can set or clear this property by setting or clearing a bit in a new bitmask object property, AR_OPROP_CORE_FIELDS_OPTION_MASK, recognized for schemas (forms) and used for core field options. The program can OR in AR_CORE_FIELDS_OPTION_DISABLE_STATUS_HISTORY to set the property to disable status history maintenance. See the C API Reference guide for details.

Disabled status history on system formsIn previous releases, the server maintained field and status history data for each form by default. In version 7.1.00, the server provides an option that makes the server's maintenance of status history optional. Disabling status history improves performance when creating, modifying, deleting, and retrieving entry data that previously had to perform a status-history-related database interaction.

Many system and application forms do not need status history. In version 7.1.00, some system forms have their status history disabled when the server automatically imports them. If you upgrade your server, existing forms do not inherit this change. New system forms, such as AR System Licenses, have status history disabled when they are automatically imported for new and upgrade installations.

The following forms are installed with disabled status history:

! Alert Events

! Application Pending

! Application Statistics

! Distributed Pending

! Server Events

! Server Statistics

! Application Statistics Configuration

! AR System Currency Codes

! AR System Currency Label Catalog

! AR System Currency Ratios

! AR System Licenses

! AR System Message Catalog

! AR System Tags

! AR System Application State

! Business Segment-Entity Association

! Business Time Holidays

! Business Time Workdays


Server features

! Distributed Pool

! Distributed Mapping

Status history was disabled because:

! The first six forms see a large number of entries being created and deleted. Each of these operations includes a SQL database call to maintain the status history, so disabling the status history will improve performance. Also, an AR System process (the AR System server or an accessory engine like the Approval Server) maintains the entries for these forms, so the status history need not be maintained.

! For the remainder of the forms, the status history is not considered essential as it does not add any value to the installation.

What you should doIf you are upgrading your servers, disable status history to take advantage of the performance gain. The first six forms will give the greatest improvement, but you should disable status history on all the forms listed.

! To disable status history

1 Open the form in BMC Remedy Administrator.

2 Choose Form > Form Properties.

3 On the Basic/Entry Points tab, select the Disable Status History check box.

If you want to keep the status history function on some forms, modify the form properties to enable status history. Do this before entries are added to the form where possible.

WARNING Disabling status history on a form with existing entries causes all existing status history for the form to be deleted.

If you do not need status history on the following forms, disable it on them as well. The first three forms list have the highest volume and provide the greatest performance improvement.

! FB:Alarm Events

! FB:History

! FB:History Summary

! Alert List

! AR System Administrator Preference

! AR System Searches Preference

! AR System User Central File

! AR System User Preference

! Data Visualization Definition


Server features

! Data Visualization Module

! Data Visualization System Files

! Group

! Report

! ReportSelection

! ReportType

! Roles

! User

Simplified System Form HandlingThis release changes the mechanism the AR System server uses to create and maintain essential system forms and create other standard forms. The <ar_install_dir>/systemforms (for UNIX) or <ar_install_dir>\ARServer\SystemForms (for Windows) directory contains the files that the AR System server uses to create and restore essential system forms and their views. The <ar_install_dir>/installforms (for UNIX) or <ar_install_dir>\ARServer\InstallForms (for Windows) directory contains the files that the installer uses to create standard, predefined forms and their views and to import data to create standard, predefined entries. The server does not restore these forms and views when they are deleted.

Earlier versions of AR System server stored the definition data required to create and maintain these forms and views in various places. The installer created some forms and views. The server executable contained some form and view definition data. The <ar_install_dir>/samples (for UNIX) or <ar_install_dir>\ARServer\Samples (for Windows) directory also held some form and view definitions. In this release, the SystemForms and InstallForms directories hold all the required form and view definitions. The Samples directory contains only sample forms and data.

The forms are listed in the appendix on special forms in the Form and Application Objects guide.


Server features

IBM DB2 9.1 supportAR System 7.1.00 introduces support for IBM DB2 database version 9.1. AR System does not, however, support new features introduced in DB2 9.1.

Specifying the directory for 9.1 SMS tablespacesBy default, the IBM DB2 9.1 API used by the AR System installer creates database-managed space (DMS) tablespaces.

To create system-managed space (SMS) tablespaces, you must specify the directory name for the following tables during installation:

! System catalog (SYSCATSPACE1)

! Temporary (TEMPSPACE1)

If you do not specify the directory name, the tables are created in the database space.

NOTE You do not need to specify the directory name for the User table (USERSPACE1).

NOTE You do not need to specify this information for DB2 8.2 SMS tablespaces.

For more information, see the Installing guide.

HP-UX 11i v3 supportAR System 7.1.00 introduces support for HP-UX 11i v3.

Novell SuSE Enterprise Linux supportAR System 7.1.00 introduces support for Novell SuSE Enterprise Linux 9 (64-bit) and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit).

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 AS/ES supportAR System 7.1.00 introduces support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 AS/ES (32-bit and 64-bit).


Client features

Enhanced support for Mozilla Firefox 2.0 support

Enhanced support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 support

Client features

BMC Remedy AR System Administration ConsoleThe following windows were available in previous versions of BMC Remedy Administrator and are now unavailable:

! Manage User Licenses (choose File > Licenses > Manage User Licenses)

! Add/Remove Licenses (choose File > Licenses > Add/Remove Licenses)

Additionally, all tabs (except for the Source Control tab) are hidden in the Server Information window (choose File > Server Information).

The information that was in these windows and tabs is found in the BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console, the recommended tool for configuring servers and licenses.

If you want to make this information available in BMC Remedy Administrator, see “Unhiding tabs in Server Information window” on page 17 and “Displaying the Licenses windows” on page 17.

Console conceptsThe BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console gives you access to many administrator functions in AR System. The console is part of the AR System Server Administration plug-in, which consists of a library file and a deployable application. (The plug-in is installed as part of the AR System server installation.)

To use the BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console, you must configure the AR System Administration application properly because it is a deployable application.

By default, deployable applications are imported in the Maintenance state. When an application is in the Maintenance state, only members of the Administrator group have permissions to use it. Before you change a deployable application’s state from Maintenance to Test or Production, you must map groups to roles to give users access to the application.

Two roles are defined in the AR System Administration application:

! AR System Admin Server Manager—Is applied to the Server Information form and the Delete Licenses button on the Add/Remove Licenses form. Only users who belong to groups mapped to this role have access to these items.

! AR System Admin User Manager—Is applied to Manage User Licenses form. Only users who belong to groups mapped to this role have access to this form.


Client features

For more information about roles, groups, and application states, see the Form and Application Objects guide.

You can open the console by either of the following methods:

! In a browser, go to the following URL address, log in, and click the AR System Administration Console link.

http://<Mid Tier server>/arsys/forms/<servername>

! In BMC Remedy User, open the AR System Administration Console entry point.

Unhiding tabs in Server Information windowBy default, the Server Information window displays only the Source Control tab. If you want to use the other tabs in the Server Information window, you can “unhide” them as follows:

1 Add a registry key value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Remedy\Remedy Administrator with the following settings:

! Name: ShowServerInfo

! Type: REG_BINARY

2 Set ShowServerInfo to 1 to show the other tabs.

To hide the tabs, set the value to 0.

Displaying the Licenses windowsBy default, the Licenses windows are unavailable in BMC Remedy Administrator. Instead, when you click the items on the File > Licenses menu, a message appears redirecting you to forms in BMC Remedy User and the BMC Remedy Administration Console.

To use the Licenses windows in BMC Remedy Administrator, you can make them available as follows:

1 Add a registry key value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Remedy\Remedy Administrator with the following settings:

! Name: ShowLicenses

! Type: REG_BINARY

2 Set ShowLicenses to 1 to make the Licenses windows available.

To make the Licenses windows unavailable, set the value to 0.

Changes in the Configuration tabThe Configuration tab on the AR System Administration: Server Information form and the Server Information window (which is disabled by default in BMC Remedy Administrator) have slightly different options for display property caching, but the end result is the same for both.


Client features

The AR System Administration: Server Information form’s options are:

! Disable All Display Property Caching

! Cache VUI Display Property Only

! Cache Field Display Property Only

! Cache All Display Properties

You can select only one option.

The Server Information window’s options are:

! Disable VUI Display Property Caching

! Disable Field Display Property Caching

You can select both options.

These server options (both on the form and in the window) set the default for all forms on the server. You can override these defaults by changing the properties of a particular form, as discussed in the Form and Application Objects guide.

Data visualization field updates

Working with native librariesWhen the Java virtual machine (JVM) executes a Java application that requires a native library through the Java native interface (JNI), the JVM must load the native library exactly once. This library (exposed to the Java layer by JNI) remains available as long as the JVM process is active. If a different Java application using the same native library executes on the same JVM process, it tries to load the native library again. Because the library is already loaded, an exception is generated.

The JNI developer must make sure this native library is loaded exactly once and must handle the exception if the same library is asked to be loaded again.

Storing shared library files on the mid tierFor plug-ins (such as CI Viewer, which is packaged with BMC Atrium CMDB) to work, the plug-in’s installer copies the required native libraries to the mid-tier installation folder. When mid tier is upgraded or re-installed, these shared library files are deleted, and you must re-copy the required native libraries to the mid-tier installation folder.

To avoid re-copying the required native libraries, store each library file as an entry in the Data Visualization System Files form in AR System. When the mid-tier process starts, a service looks for this form on all of the servers registered as Data Visualization servers, and workflow copies the library files to the mid tier.

If the file is already available in the mid-tier installation directory and the modified date matches the last-modified date of the entry in the Data Visualization System Files form, the file is not re-copied.


Client features

NOTE The Data Visualization forms are installed with the AR System server. For the Data Visualization System Files form to function, the AR System and mid tier servers must be version 7.1.00 or later.

! To store native library files for plug-ins

1 Open the Data Visualization System Files form.

Figure 1-1: Data Visualization System Files form

2 In the Name field, enter the file’s name.

This name must exactly match the name of the file that is attached at the bottom of the form.

3 Enter a description.

4 Enter the status.

The options Active or Inactive. If the status is Inactive, the file is not copied during an upgrade or re-installation.

5 Select the platform:

! Windows

! Solaris

! Linux

! AIX

! HP UX

! All—This option is used for jar files, which are used on multiple platforms.

The mid tier copies only those files that match the platform you select, except for the All option, which copies jar files.


Client features

NOTE Entries are indexed by the Name and Platform fields.

6 In the Version field, enter the version number of the binary file that you are saving.

Use the following format:

<major version>.<minor version>.<subminor version>.<patch>

For example, for version 2.0.01, patch 002, enter:

2.0.01.002

You can omit the trailing numbers. For example, for version 2.1.00.000, you can enter:

2.1

If the same file is available on a different server with a new version, AR System matches the version string. Then, it uses the latest version.

7 Add the file to the attachment field.

8 Click Save.

Using Java classesData visualization modules are packaged and deployed as JAR files. The following Java classes and interfaces are provided for data visualization developers. The Javadocs contain more information about these classes.

NOTE When searching for a class name, remember that each class is in the com.remedy.arsys.plugincontainer package. So, the Plugin class is named com.remedy.arsys.plugincontainer.Plugin.

Data visualization developers can implement these interfaces:

! Plugin—Interface that must be implemented by data visualization developers.

! DefinitionFactory—Interface that can optionally be implemented by data visualization developers to parse their definition data into Java objects. These Java objects must be imported into the Definition or the CacheableDefinition interfaces described in the following list.

! Definition—Marker interface implemented by the modules’ definition objects.

! CacheableDefinition—Marker interface to use if the module needs the container to cache the definition objects. The cached objects are returned when the module requests the DefinitionSevice to get the definition. For more information, see the cache service.


Client features

Other interfaces include:

! ARPluginContextEX—Extends the PluginContext class to provide AR System specific services. To use this class in a plug-in, you must typecast objects to com.bmc.arsys.api.ARServerUser. (In version 7.0.01, the ARPluginContext is used, and it returned com.remedy.arsys.api.ARServerUser object in its functions. For more information, see the 7.1.00 AR System API Javadocs.)

! AuthenticationException—Extends the Exception class.

! CacheableDefinition—Uses the caching services of the plug-in container.

! DefaultDefinition—Default implementation of the Definition class.

! Definition—Acts as a marker interface for data visualization definition.

! DefinitionService—Provides the definition service for the data visualization container.

! LocaleService—Provides services such as getting appropriate strings for the locale to enable the module writer to localize the plug-in. For example, you can format dates, time, and numbers for locale conventions.

! ARLocaleServiceEX—As a subset of LocaleService, provides a simpler way to access localized messages from the Message Catalog.

! PluginContext—Provides the context that can be used to make API calls.

! NoPermissionException—Occurs when the data visualization tries to retrieve a definition for a user who does not have authorization to access the definition.

! PageService—Generates URLs that provide a reference back to the data visualization.

NOTE When you update to new APIs, make sure you make the appropriate changes (as described in the Javadocs).

Results color in tree fieldsThe results color can now be applied to tree fields as well as table fields.

Page holder enhancementsPage holders now include left and right arrows that enable viewing of page tabs that extend beyond the width of the page holder. This allows administrators to create multiple tabs for a page holder without being restrained by the width of the the page field. Page tabs are no longer cut off if they extend beyond the width of the page holder.

Left and right arrows are available on either side of the page tabs. These arrows are visible only if the page holder has enough tabs to require scrolling. Tabs can be scrolled one at a time.


Client features

Ability to change labels for navigation barsIn AR System 7.1.00, administrators can change the labels for horizontal and vertical navigation bar fields by using a change field active link.

Locale-aware table fieldsTable fields in AR System 7.1.00 can be refreshed with specific locale information by selecting the Use Locale check box option in the Advanced Display tab of the Field Properties dialog box. When the box for this option is checked, the system returns only entries for the user’s locale when the table is refreshed.

This option applies only to table fields and tree fields on a form; it does not apply to results lists.

For more information about these features, see the Form and Application Objects guide.

Customizable background color on rowsAdministrators now can customize the background color of records in a table based on the value of an enumerated field.

In the Field Properties-Table Field dialog box (in the Results Color tab), two background color options are available: The default alternate gray and white row colors, or a custom color.

Table refresh on intervalFor all tables (including results lists) in forms on the web, users can set the interval at which the table automatically refreshes (in minutes). Valid values are 0–99.

An Auto Refresh option appears as part of the table’s Preferences menu and in the context (right-click) menu. The interval must be a positive numeric integer. If the interval is 0, no automatic refresh will occur. If a preference server is specified, the refresh interval will be saved as a table preference so that it can be restored the next time users open the same form.

This feature is not implemented in BMC Remedy User. You can only refresh the results list at specified intervals. (Choose View > Auto Refresh to make set the interval.)


Usability features

Automatic maximizing of windows on target location for web clients

AR System 7.1 provides a new option in the View Properties window that enables a specific view of a form window to automatically open maximized. This enables forms that are opened as new windows in a browser to be maximized automatically. For larger forms, the maximized view can free the user from having to scroll when viewing the form’s contents.

This option pertains to a specific view; each view of a form has its own maximize value.

Usability features

Displaying version informationVersion information is included in the following places in the product:

! In the About dialog box (from the Help > About menu option)

! In the binary that is displayed in file properties (Windows only)

! At the beginning of all server and client log files

! In global variable for shared objects (UNIX only)

! In the manifest file of JAR file modules (Use WinZip or jar to extract and view the manifest file)

On Windows, all AR System background processes support the -version command-line switch. With this switch, a command can write the application’s version string to its standard output and exit.

Shared objects on UNIX hold the version information string in a global variable so that it can be displayed using a utility such as strings with the grep command, as follows:

strings <file name> | grep “ProdVers”

For example:

strings libar.a | grep “ProdVers”

If grep “ProdVers” is not used, strings displays all the global strings, and it is difficult to determine the version string from the output.

Pop-up blockersWhen users log in, the mid tier prompts users if the popup blocker is enabled and warns them to disable it. If they do not disable the popup blocker, the mid tier will fail to open a new window or dialog box (this includes expand boxes and currency dialog boxes).


Usability features

Wait cursorUsers will see a “wait cursor” for the following actions:

! Submit

! Modify

! ModifyAll

! Search

! Table Refresh

Additionally, users will see a “Loading…” message when a page is loading.


Context (right-click) menusContext menus are implemented for the following fields:

! Table

! Attachment Pool

All menu items appear in the context menu by default.

For attachment pool, right-clicking on an item will also select it.

Rounded corner option for trim boxesA new property in the config.properties file (arsystem.field.roundedCorners) enables administrators to create trim boxes with rounded corners on the Web. The default value for this property is false. When this property is set to true, trim fields that are boxes will appear in a form with rounded corners. This applies only to trim fields whose depth effect is set to None, and whose thickness has a value of 2 or less.

Trim boxes whose depth effect is set to a value other than None, or whose thickness has a value of more than 2, will not appear with rounded corners. Rounded corners can be removed from all trim boxes in a form by setting the arsystem.field.roundedCorners property to its default value of false.


BMC Remedy Migrator features


Enhancements to Differences reportThe Differences report has been redesigned for easier viewing and includes improvements to the AR System.

The report now includes more distinctive headings to enable easier scanning of information. The first part of the report is a summary of the report's contents. It lists the source and destination servers, the date on which the report was created, and the number of workflow objects that were the same or different between source and destination.

Each object type is included under a distinct heading. For each object, the report now lists:

! The destination name

! The results (same or different between source and destination)

! The high-level differences, if any

! The action recommended to resolve the differences (for example, update)

! The time stamps of the objects for the source and destination (the last date and time the object was modified)

! The status of the destination (older or newer)

The objects that are the same or different can be detected more easily by the X or the green check mark in the Results column. A Yield sign with an exclamation point indicates missing items.

Each line item within a report is now highlighted individually as been different, missing, or the same.

Enhancements to Results reportThe Migrator Result Report also has been redesigned for easier reading and printing.

The report now includes more distinctive headings and a summary section at the beginning that provides a high-level list of the results, including

! The name of the source and destination

! The start and end times of the migration

! The status of the migration (completed, stopped, etc.)

! The version of Migrator used to migrate the workflow

! The source and destination server versions (if servers were involved in the migration)



! The number of times a migration was restarted, if at all

! The last date and time the migration was restarted, if restarted at all

For each object type, the report provides a summary of the statistics for that type, following by a list of each object and its migration results.

The report also includes a list of workflow changes resulting from the migration; for example, a change to a field or display properties, or creation of a new view.

Ignore Prefix optionMigrator 7.1.00 includes an Ignore Prefix option. Using this option, the administrator can instruct Migrator to bypass workflow objects that begin with specific prefixes during a direct or a scripted migration. This option was implemented to resolve issues involving migration of SLA and CMBD workflow objects.

All Migrator installations include a default list of prefixes in the Ignore Prefixes option dialog box. The administrator can add new prefix names, edit existing prefix names, or clear the list. A Set Defaults button is available to restore the default prefix list at any time.

When a migration is completed, the Results report lists the prefixes that were ignored. The status information for workflow objects ignored during a migration will note these objects as ignored.

Packaged view migrations (ability to migrate a specific view and its fields)

Administrators can now select a specific view of a form and its fields and display properties instead of having to migrate the standard form.

When a specific view is selected for migration, Migrator searches for all of the fields with display properties for that view. It then migrates that view to the destination form. It checks each field on the destination form and takes the appropriate action.

If the field exists on the destination, Migrator extracts from the destination field the display properties for all views except the view being migrated.

Option to keep or delete dependency and database filesUsers can now choose to keep or delete the database and dependency files that are generated with .migrator binary files. Previously, these files were always deleted when a .migrator file was closed, requiring them to be regenerated each time a .migrator file was reopened. This process could be time-consuming -- up to 40 minutes for the largest .migrator files.


Minor miscellaneous changes

A new selection in the Migrator Options dialog box enables administrators to retain the database and dependency files, which eliminates the recaching process and allows .migrator files to be reopened much more quickly. Because the files are retained, this option requires additional hard disk space on the server where the .migrator files are stored.

The default value is not to delete the files (option unchecked).

For more information about these features, see the BMC Remedy Migrator Administrator’s Guide.

Minor miscellaneous changesThe following changes are not listed in the list of new features in Chapter 1 of the release notes, but these changes were made in AR System 7.1.00.

Relative URLs in WSDL

In the types sections of a WSDL file, you can now use a relative URL in the <xsd:include> and <xsd:import> elements.

Tabless borderless page holders

When you are creating a page holder on a form, you can select the Tabless Borderless Page Holder check box on the Pages tab of the Form Properties window. This setting displays the page holder field without a border or page tabs in web clients. In version 7.1.0, this setting causes BMC Remedy User to display a page holder field with a border and very small tabs without labels.

View names for new forms

In AR System 7.1.00, view names for new forms (and their associated status history) are now stored in the arschema table. The viewName column contains the form's view name, and the shViewName column contains the status history view name. (The rules used to create the view names remain unchanged.)

The viewName and shViewName columns are not initially populated when upgrading to AR System 7.1.00; however, the columns are populated if a form is modified such that the view must be recreated.

New Email Engine property

The following property was added to the EmailDaemon.properties file:

com.bmc.arsys.emaildaemon.ContentTypeWithCharset=True

This property determines whether to send the charset property in the content-type header of outgoing mail. For example, an outgoing mail’s text part header might look similar to this:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

If you do not want charset=UTF-8 string in the Content-type header, set the com.bmc.arsys.emaildaemon.ContentTypeWithCharset property to False. (The default is True.)


Minor miscellaneous changes

Copyright 1991–2007 BMC Software, Inc., as an unpublished work. All rights reserved.

BMC Software, the BMC Software logos, and all other BMC Software product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of BMC Software, Inc.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

DB2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

Oracle is a registered trademark, and the Oracle product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.

BMC Software considers information included in this documentation to be proprietary and confidential. Your use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable End User License Agreement for the product and the proprietary and restricted rights notices in the product documentation.

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