Issue 1, 2014 |
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Software AG Update Manager (SUM) is an easy-to-use tool for managing fixes and maintaining Software AG platform components on distributed systems. It is now available for EntireX to manage fixes and maintain a proper operational image on Linux, UNIX and Windows (LUW).
Summing up SUM
It is inevitable that after an application platform component, such as EntireX, has been installed and held responsible for critical workload, that there will be maintenance duties to perform in order to keep the system running consistently at optimal levels. Common maintenance practices not only involve fixing defects but also managing incremental enhancements or making adjustments when operating systems or over-arching environments demand change. Software AG developed SUM to give customers a better way to maintain and control their application platforms given that change is inevitable.
Before you can use SUM with EntireX, you must address a couple of preconditions. First, you need to have an Empower userid and password to obtain the latest fixes. Next, you need to install the update manager component from the Software AG Installer, which also requires an Empower account. Finally, you need an install image of EntireX that is accessible from the update manager on one of the LUW platforms.
The update manager is a Java® application that runs as a standalone GUI (UNIX requires X-Windows) or through a command line interface. SUM first checks to see if there is a newer version of itself and will auto-install the latest version.
Although SUM is used primarily to install fixes, SUM can also be used to uninstall fixes if it is necessary to go back to a known state for any reason. SUM is an instrumental tool for customers to use directly or as directed by Software AG product support to accelerate patch management.
Using SUM
When installing fixes, the update manager can assist you with updating a single EntireX image or multiple images. You have many options to select from, including:
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Install the latest versions of fixes directly from Empower, Software AG’s product support website, on a single machine
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Download fixes from Empower to a persisted image and then install the fixes from the image on one or more machines
- Record a script of yourself installing fixes from Empower or from an image, and then install fixes from the script with no user input on one or more machines
For additional details on installing onto an image or recording a script, please see the documentation for “Using the Software AG Update Manager.” We will now continue under the assumption that SUM has been installed and is connected to the Empower download server using your credentials.
As shown in Figure 1, the update manager will display all of the available fixes based on your credentials and what you have installed on the particular machine on which it is running. You can select the appropriate fixes and review the Readme or Fix Content—which provides additional details, including download size—before you execute the install.
Figure 1: Select Readme or Fix Content buttons for more details about the selected fix.
SUM automatically determines the dependencies associated with each fix and automatically accounts for the installation of interdependent components, as shown in Figure 2. This again saves time and headaches of incremental patch management.
Figure 2: Using the View installed fixes option, you can see all of the fixes that have been applied to each installed component (e.g., Designer EntireX Workbench plug-in) on this machine.
Summary
Whether you have one or many EntireX LUW instances in operation, you will find that tasks associated with maintaining and managing fixes are accelerated when using SUM. You will also have confidence knowing that the platform installation environment has been systematically checked for component dependencies. SUM has been long used by a broad base of Software AG technology users to lower the total cost of ownership and now EntireX users can now enjoy the same benefits.
To learn more, read “Using the Software AG Update Manager” and visit the Tech Community for more webMethods documentation here.