23 Jan Automating Software AG upgrades with Command Central
Introduction
“Software AG Command Central is a tool that enables you to manage your Software AG products remotely from one location. Command Central offers a browser-based user interface, but you can also automate tasks by using commands to remotely execute actions from a terminal or custom script (for example, CI servers such as Jenkins or generic configuration management tools such as Puppet or Chef).”
-Software AG Command Central 10.1 Help p.16
Managing servers consists of the ability to apply updates/fixes, change configurations and install products by using composite templates.
The Project
The goal of our project was to migrate an existing Software AG installation/infrastructure at one of our customers. Updating the different products was done with Command Central. So even after the project was finished, these installations can be maintained and updated with Command Central. The goal of the project was to automate/update the installation procedure of the products. Due to high safety requirements this brings with it some difficulties.
Our Approach
Due to the security precautions of the project there were many extra steps to be done, therefore we couldn’t use just one template to install/configure some products. We chose to run a component specific template from a script that executes the pre- and post-template commands. This way we could reuse some of the scripts.
For example when bootstrapping a target server we can install the platform manger with a default keystore. This default keystore can’t be trusted in our environment due to these security precautions. Our solution to this problem was to change the Platform Manger configuration to use a server specific keystore. This was done with a script that is executed through ssh. As soon as the keystore configuration is done, we can execute templates with a secure connection from Command Central to the Platform Manager.
Possibilities
The configurations that are possible to configure with Command Central are strongly depended from the product that you are trying to configure. Basic configurations and the installation of components from Command Central with a template are easy to use. The downside of configuring some products with a template with Command Central is that not yet everything is possible to configure.
Conclusion
Command Central makes it easier to install and configure Software AG products. There are still a lot of functionalities and improvements that need to be implemented and the existing functionalities can be improved. Managing a large infrastructure is a big improvement. Installing and comparing products and fixes is a lot simpler and faster.
