XA R7.8Link Manager

Belinda Daub

Sr. Technical Consultant

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Agenda• What is Link Manager?• Common terminology• New Features• Administration and Configuration• Monitor User Activity• Auxiliary Machines• Updates and Fix Servers• Diagnostics• 7.8 Link Manager Upgrade

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What is Link Manager?• Environment management tool for

– Configuration and optimization of environment services

– Starting and stopping environments– Upgrading environment release level– Monitoring environment status and troubleshooting– Monitoring and communicating with end users

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Common TerminologyGlobal environment Processes that manage and facilitate MPX jobs the global environment processes

*Can now start from Link Manager

“U-Job” Unattached job used to start/stop environments from System i

*Required for Power-Link

Auxiliary machine Computer other than the System i that can host environment services

Environment service Process that provides some environment functionality such as web access

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New Features• New Look

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–New Desktop icon

–New Login ScreenDirect access to environments on multiple systems

Freedom from Java Webstart

New Features

• New Feel– Console has full IDF customization and navigation

and Usability features Views, Subsets… Broadcast/receive Mutli-select Workbenches Preferences Etc…

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New Features• By restructuring the IFS

– Business environments can now be independently upgraded and managed

– The Global environment can now be• Upgraded independently from business environments

• Restarted with minimal interruption to the business environments

• Managed from within Link Manager

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Environment Management• Administration

– Administer Environments and Machines– Communicate with users– Apply PTFs

• Configuration– Manage environment fix levels– View tasks for all environments/machines– Work with users – Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

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– View details– Change– Copy Process– Start– Stop– Move Process– Apply Update

Environment Administration• Status

– Environments– Machines– Tasks

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Example: Start Messaging Service

1. Start NMS

Environment Administration

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2. View Details

Environment Administration

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set up to autostart with environment (also available in Environment Configuration)

Environment Administration

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Environment Administration• Communicate with Users

– Client messages can be sent to Power-Link and Net-Link users

– Single user or all users of an environment– Review who has read the message– Copy previous messages

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Environment AdministrationExample: Send a message to users logging into the

environment to warn them about a scheduled system outage.

1. Create a client message object for the environment. You can specify a particular user or all users. Also, you can specify whether the userssee the messageonce or at everylogin.

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Environment AdministrationResults

• Users receive a pop up message when they log into Power-Link and Net-Link.

• The status of the message can be viewed to see who has received it.

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Environment Configuration• Built-in Views and subsets

– Fix Level and User login information– Status of Updates

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Environment Configuration• Environment Processes

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Environment Configuration• Environment Tasks

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Environment Configuration• Machines

– Host and Auxiliary servers

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Questions?

Monitor User Activity• User Profiles

– Basic information– Start and stop logging– Login history

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Monitor User Activity• User logins

– Subset by user, environment, workstation or active sessions

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Auxiliary Machines• Add capacity and support remote sites• Servers can be

– MS Windows– Mac OSX – Linux

• Host a variety of environment services• Dedicated or automatically load balanced• Installed standalone or as Windows service• Managed from Link Manager console

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Auxiliary MachinesExample 1: Add auxiliary server to take some load off of the System i.

1. Install auxiliary software on the machines2. Start auxiliary software on the machines3. Restart running processes

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Auxiliary MachinesResults

• Machines automatically show up in Link Manager console• Automatically available for load balancing• Managed from Link Manager console

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Auxiliary MachinesExample 2: Add dedicated auxiliary machines for

Net-Link and for System-Link users.

1. Install auxiliary software on the machines2. Set the auto offload flag to off (uncheck the box)

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Auxiliary Machines3. Create a new Process in Environment to add a new

System-Link or Net-Link server

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Auxiliary Machines4. Use the move process action to assign processes to their

machines (can select multiple entries)5. Restart the processes

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Auxiliary Machines

Results• Two auxiliary machines dedicated to assigned processes.

• Two Net-Link servers and two System-Link servers to handle user load.

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Questions?

Manage Updates• Impact of updates reduced by environment

independence

• Environments can restart automatically after updates

• Auxiliary machines updated and restarted when necessary

• Do not have to exit Link Manager for global restart

• Staged updates offer transparency to the user

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• Apply from Fix Levels

• or Environments

Manage Updates

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Manage UpdatesBetter visibility of fix levels

• Installed and downloaded fix levels• Environments where the fix levels are applied• Fix details

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Stage UpdatesExample: Apply update to an environment without

increasing the login time for end users

1. Use the apply update action on the environment2. Select the staged apply option

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Stage Updates3. Monitor the fix level download status on the environment4. Use the Apply Update action to release the update5. Use the Cancel Staged Apply action if you do not want to

update the environment

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Stage UpdatesResults

• End users download the fix code silently in background while using Power-Link

• Administrators can monitor the status of the downloads from Link Manager

• Users are not inconvenienced by downloads when starting Power-Link.

• Users who login after the update is applied will be updated before they can use Power-Link

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Fix Servers• Deploy client fixes to remote users

– Minimize downloads across WAN and reduce user login time

– Code is downloaded once to each remote site– End users download from the LAN– Can be used with staged updates

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Fix ServersExample: System i located in Atlanta with remote

XA users in Chicago, Seattle and Minneapolis.

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Fix Servers1. Install auxiliary software on a machine at each remote site2. Set the auto offload flag to off on each machine3. Create a fix server process on the global environment for each

remote site4. Assign the fix server processes to the appropriate auxiliary

machines5. Manage the environment as usual

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Fix ServersResults

• WAN users get LAN performance for fixes• Remote auxiliary machines are synchronized before

environment update is released

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Questions?

Diagnostics• Common issues

– Missing files, PTF issues, object authority and permissions

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Diagnostics• Logs archived for environment processes• Client logging can be activated from Link

Manager– By user or workstation

• Client logs visible from Link Manager• Save to disk and send to support

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DiagnosticsExample: User experiences intermittent issue that seems to

appear once a week. After setting up some tracing options Infor support is requesting logs that show the issue. In addition to the logs, Infor support is also requesting some system files.

1. Set the days to retain logs to 14 on the affected environment

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Diagnostics2. Activate logging on the affected user’s profile or the workstation.

Use the workstation if it hosts multiple users

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Diagnostics3. Review user’s client logs from Link Manager to check for the

issue (view Login Details from User Profile or User Logins)

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Diagnostics4. Use the package model action on the environment to save the

data after the issue occurs

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5. Send the saved file to support

DiagnosticsResults

• Logs are archived for the user’s client sessions and environment server sessions for two weeks.

• Support can receive the information they need to analyze the issue.

• Issues can be easier to diagnose and quicker to resolve.

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7.8 Link Manager Upgrade• New client SH numbers

– SH15476 – Initial install CD (.iso image) on Software Download site– SH15477 – Client fixes (for R7.8 environments)

• SH14855 still valid for R7.7 environments

• Installation process– Reorganizes IFS directory structure– Only upgrades global environment– Minimum client fix level 40.72– Power-Link still runs with Java Web Start at 40.* levels– Several mandatory prerequisite PTFs needed for R7.7 environments

installed on same machine

Watch for 7.8 Upgrade session this summer

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Thank You

Questions?

Technical InformationBelinda Daub704.814.0004

belinda.daub@cistech.net

Sales InformationBen McCormick

704.814.0016ben.mccormick@cistech.net

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