Working with InterChange Server instances

This section describes the tasks you perform in System Manager to work with InterChange Server.

Registering an InterChange Server instance

To work with an InterChange Server instance you must register it in System Manager. Do the following:

Important:
To connect to an InterChange Server instance, it must be running. For information on starting InterChange Server see the System Administration Guide. You can still register a server that is not running, but System Manager will not be connected to it after doing so.
  1. Do one of the following to display the "Register Server" dialog:
  2. Do one of the following to enter the name of the server in the Server name field:
  3. Type the user name to interact with the InterChange Server instance in the User name field.

    The default user name is admin.

  4. Type the password for the user name specified in step 3 in the Password field.

    The default password for the default user name admin is null.

  5. If you do not want to have to supply the user name and password each time you have to connect to the InterChange Server instance in System Manager then enable the Save User ID and Password check box.
    Important:
    Be sure to consider the security implications of caching the user name and password in this way. Some component definitions require sensitive information such as valid user names and passwords to log in to the applications being integrated. With such information, an individual could gain access to records stored in those applications and the critical information stored in those records, such as credit and payroll information. It is recommended that you only cache the user name and password in this way when the only information that could be accessed through System Manager is not production information.
  6. To register the InterChange Server instance as a local test server, enable the Local Test Server check box and then either type the full path to the WebSphere InterChange Server product directory in the Local Server Installation Path field, or use the Browse button to navigate to the product directory.

    You should only enable this check box when you need to test an interface or when the server resides on the same machine as System Manager; leave it disabled when developing components or when working with a production server.

    For more information on testing interfaces, see Using Integrated Test Environment and Using Collaboration Debugger.

  7. Click OK.

    System Manager registers the InterChange Server instance, connects to it (if the name of the InterChange Server instance, the user name, and the password supplied are all accurate and the server and the IBM Java Object Request Broker (ORB) are running), and displays an entry for it in InterChange Server Component Management view.

    You can subsequently work with the InterChange Server instance by right-clicking it in InterChange Server Component Management view.

Figure 3 shows the "Register new server" dialog where the user name and password have been typed in and have been cached.

Figure 3. Registering an InterChange Server instance

The figure shows the "Register new server" screen with the Server name, User name, and Password fields. Next to the Server name field is the Browse push button. Underneath the Password field is the Save user ID and password check box and the Local server check box. Then there is the Local server installation path fied with a Browse push button. At the bottom of the screen are the OK and Cancel push buttons.

Connecting to InterChange Server

When you register an InterChange Server instance in System Manager, System Manager automatically connects to the instance if the instance name, the user name, and the password are all accurate and the server and the IBM ORB are running.

If you have to shut down the instance, or exit from System Manager, then you need to reconnect System Manager to the instance. The task is slightly different depending on whether or not you chose to cache the user name and password, so follow the steps in the appropriate following section.

Connecting with a cached user name and password

Do the following if you chose to cache the user name and password when registering the server initially:

  1. Right-click the entry for the InterChange Server instance in InterChange Server Component Management view and choose Connect from the context menu.

    The "Login" dialog is displayed with the login information cached. Figure 4 shows the dialog.

    Figure 4. Server User ID and Password dialog with cached information

    The figure shows the "Login" screen. The first field is the "Server name" field, where you must type in the name of the server. Underneath that field is the "User name" field where you type in you user name. And underneath that field is the "Password" field, where you type in your password. The Save User ID and Password check box is underneath the "Password" field, which will allow you to save your data. The OK and Cancel push buttons are located on the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

  2. Click OK.

Note:
If System Manager was unable to connect to the server, see the Problem Determination Guide.

Connecting when the user name and password have not been cached

If you did not choose to cache the user name and password when initially registering an InterChange Server instance, then you must do the following:

  1. Right-click the entry for the InterChange Server instance in InterChange Server Component Management view and choose Connect from the context menu.
  2. Type the user name to interact with the InterChange Server instance in the User name field.

    The default user name is admin.

  3. Type the password for the user name supplied in step 2 in the Password field.

    The default password for the default user name admin is null.

  4. If you do not want to have to supply the user name and password each time you have to connect to the InterChange Server instance in System Manager then enable the Save userid/password check box.
    Important:
    Be sure to consider the security implications of caching the user name and password in this way. Some component definitions require sensitive information such as valid user names and passwords to log in to the applications being integrated. With such information, an individual could gain access to records stored in those applications and the critical information stored in those records, such as credit and payroll information. It is recommended that you only cache the user name and password in this way when the only information that could be accessed through System Manager is not production information.
  5. Click OK.

InterChange Server modes

InterChange Server can run in different modes that best suit different stages of the implementation cycle.

Design mode

In design mode, InterChange Server permits the repository to be in an inconsistent state--you can add components to the repository without components they depend upon already existing. For instance, if you try to import a business object definition that has a child object into the repository, but the child object does not exist yet, then an InterChange Server in production mode would cause the import to fail to protect the integrity of the repository. An InterChange Server in design mode, however, would allow you to proceed so that you can assemble your integration components in a way that best suits your development approach.

Furthermore, compiling maps and collaboration templates when deploying a package to a design-mode server is optional. In production mode, the server automatically compiles all maps and collaboration templates.

Design mode is particularly useful when you are importing components from another environment. You may not be aware of all the dependencies yourself, so being able to incrementally import components without the import operations failing due to unresolved dependencies is very helpful.

To start InterChange Server in design mode, use the -design parameter when starting the server. Figure 5 shows the shortcut for InterChange Server on a Windows system; the Target field contains the -design parameter. On a Unix system you would use the -design parameter when executing the ics_manager script.

Figure 5. InterChange Server shortcut specifying design mode

The figure shows the "IBM WebSphere InterChange Server Properties" dialog "Shortcut" tab. Other tabs include "General", "Options", "Font", "Layout", "Colors" and "Security". In the "Shortcut" tab, the "Target type" is shown as MS-DOS Batch file. Underneath the "Target type" is the "Target location", which is bin in the figure. Underneath the "Target location" is the "Target" field, where you type in your target. There are two grayed-out check boxes underneath the "Target" field: the "Run in separate memory space" and "Run as different user". Underneath those check boxes is another area with four fields: "Start in", "Shortcut key", "Run" and "Comment". Below those fields are the "Find Target" and "Change Icon" push buttons. At the bottom of the screen are the "OK", "Cancel" and "Apply" push buttons.

Test mode

Once you have registered InterChange Server, you will be able to start the server in test mode. To start InterChange Server in test mode, use the -test parameter when starting the server.

Note:
In order for the server to run in test mode, you want to make sure that the test role has the operation permission to perform such tasks as start, shut down, deploy and so on.

Local and remote servers are supported in Integrated Test Environment (ITE). A local server is an InterChange Server started from the task manager of the Integrated Test Environment. To launch a server from task manager, InterChange Server should be registered as a local server in the registration panel. A remote server is an InterChange Server launched outside the ITE. Therefore, even a server started on the same machine as ITE can be a remote server if it is launched outside ITE.

The local server script can be modified automatically to ensure that the server starts up as a test server. A remote server does not have the capability to start this way; therefore, the server launch option will be disabled if the registered server is a remote server.

Production mode

In production mode, InterChange Server is designed to guarantee the integrity of the repository. It will not allow you to deploy a package with unresolved dependencies to the repository, and it automatically compiles all maps and collaboration templates in the deployment package. These restrictions guarantee that the server environment is in a state in which its components can execute properly. If there were components with unresolved dependencies or uncompiled components in the server environment at runtime then any transactions that involved those components would fail. Although that is an acceptable situation in a development environment, where it is presumed that you are still creating the required components, it is not considered acceptable in a production environment, so these restrictions enforce safe deployment procedures.

Production mode is the default mode for InterChange Server, so you do not have to take any configuration steps to start it in production mode. If you want to start it in production mode, however, be sure that you have not taken steps to start it in design mode and confirm its mode in InterChange Server Component Management view of System Manager.

Changing the InterChange Server password

You can change the password for the user account that is used to connect to InterChange Server. Do the following to change the password:

  1. Right-click the entry for the InterChange Server instance in InterChange Server view and choose Change Password from the context menu.

    The "Change InterChange Server Password" dialog displays, as shown in Figure 6.

  2. Type the current password in the Old Password field.
  3. Type the new password in the New Password field.
  4. Type the new password again in the Confirm Password field.
  5. Click OK.

Figure 6. Changing the InterChange Server password

The figure shows the "Change InterChange Server Password" dialog. In this dialog there are three fields: "Old Password", "New Password" and "Confirm Password". At the bottom of the screen are the "OK" and "Cancel" push buttons.

Refreshing InterChange Server

After you have deployed components to an InterChange Server instance you must refresh the instance in System Manager for it to accurately display the components in the server. For instance, if you deploy components to a server and then try to create a new integration library and add components to the library from the server, System Manager does not list the recently deployed components unless you refresh the server.

To refresh a server instance, right-click it in InterChange Server Component Management view and choose Refresh from the context menu.

Disconnecting from InterChange Server

To disconnect System Manager from an InterChange Server instance, right-click the InterChange Server instance from which you want to disconnect in InterChange Server Component Management view, then select Disconnect from the context menu.

Shutting down InterChange Server

To shut down an InterChange Server instance, right-click the InterChange Server instance you want to shut down in InterChange Server Component Management view, then select Disconnect from the context menu and then either select Gracefully or Immediately from the submenu depending on how you want the instance to shut down.

If you select Immediately as the type of shutdown, then InterChange Server shuts down immediately and any flows that it might be processing at the time fail. You can subsequently resolve any failed flows by using Flow Manager. Use this type of shutdown in development and test environments where you do not care about the flows in the system or in production environments where there are no complications presented by submitting failed flows.

If you select Gracefully as the type of shut down, then the InterChange Server integration components will finish processing their current flows before the server shuts down. Use this type of shutdown in production environments where there may be complications resulting from flow failures.

Note:
You can also shut down InterChange Server by closing the console window in which it is running. This results in an immediate shutdown, and any flows currently being processed will fail. This may be acceptable in a development environment, if the integrity of the data does not matter, but should not be done in a production environment. A benefit of using System Manager to shut down InterChange Server even in a development environment is that InterChange Server Component Management view displays the status of the server, but it cannot detect and report changes in the state of the server if it is shut down by some other means than the use of System Manager.

Deleting an InterChange Server instance from the view

You may want to remove an InterChange Server instance from InterChange Server Component Management view in System Manager. For instance, if you have many servers registered it might be inconvenient to have ones you no longer work with listed. Do the following to remove an InterChange Server instance:

  1. Ensure that System Manager is not connected to the InterChange Server instance you want to remove. You can do this by either disconnecting System Manager from the InterChange Server instance or by shutting down the InterChange Server instance.

    For more information on disconnecting System Manager from an InterChange Server instance, see Disconnecting from InterChange Server.

    For more information on shutting down an InterChange Server instance, see Shutting down InterChange Server.

  2. In InterChange Server Component Management view, right-click the InterChange Server instance you want to remove, then select Delete from the context menu.
  3. At the "Delete server confirmation" prompt click OK.

    The server instance is removed from the view.

Other System Manager commands for InterChange Server

The context menu displayed when you right-click an InterChange Server instance has several other menu items, but they are described in other manuals.


Table 2. Other System Manager commands for InterChange Server

InterChange Server menu item
Edit Configuration For more information on this menu item, see Configuring WebSphere InterChange Server.
Statistics For more information on this menu item, see the System Administration Guide.
System View For more information on this menu item, see the System Administration Guide.
Server object delete For more information on this menu item, see Deleting components using the Server Object Delete Wizard.
Delete Repository Deleting the entire repository.
Monitor definition wizard For more information on this menu item, see the System Administration Guide.

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